Back to work/ageism. Is it the last acceptable form of discrimination?

[CJDoxon]

Hello
I am in my late 50s and have had to take some time off due for family reasons. Not long just about 18 months or so. Im a relatively senior comms person and have been working all my life. Despite this I have found it incredibly difficult to find a new job. I cant seem to get interviews - even for more junior roles that I have been used to. Anecdotally I have met quite a few others in the same boat. Often these are women who have had to step away from work in order to care for others. But its not just a woman thing - one recruitment person told me off the record that he never bothers to share new roles with people over the age of 45 as he knows his (corporate) clients will reject them. In fact his comment was "you are either up or you are out". I dont want to be "out" but I have no intention of being CEO eithe. I just want to do a good job well. Is it just me? It seems such a waste of talent not to be able to step back into the world of work.

I am interested in whether others have suffered similarly and what you have done about it? In a world where we will all be expected to work until we are in our late 60s what can be done to ensure that there are still opportunities for those over 50? Is ageism the last acceptable form of discrimination? I dont want to take a job from a younger person but I do want to make some sort of economic contribution and feel part of not a drain on society.

Sorry - this sounds rather moany - just really interested in others thoughts

Opposite experience here. Much easier to get a job with decades of experience. But youngsters in family starting out can't get a job as places want decades of experience 🤷‍♀️

I'm nearing 60 and was offered the last four (widely differing) jobs I applied for (one in the civil service and one at GCHQ).

I'm not a professional or been in a niche field of any kind.

Some places now have to show they're picking people from a much more diverse set (so I've found that my age, sex and ethnic group have worked IN my favour instead of against me). Twenty years ago, it would have been a very different story.

I think the public and charity sectors are less likely to have the sort of biases you've mentioned.

No - not at all. I contract, so regularly need to apply for new roles. At 64 I still get all the job offers, so no, I don’t feel there is any ageism around. If you are good, you get the roles. 😀

Do they assume in a comms role you need to be a gen z social media person?

I've got every role I applied for. Is your CV and LinkedIn up-to-date and relevant, good headshots etc. for the last decade my jobs have been from Linked and my network, I haven't had any interviews as such as I have a great reputation. 56 this year

We regularly employ older people at my place - can't put a price on their life experience and wisdom that they bring to the job.

I've experienced this as well. My last company laid off mainly older workers, and where my old department was a good mix of ages, it is now mainly people under 45. Also a lot of us older employees (at the time I was mid 40s) were treated terribly by the younger employees. There was a lot of favoritism for the younger employees. I eventually had to move out of the group as it was unbearable. Most of the company operated the same way, which it's globally recognized company so its shocking that they prefer younger workers over older ones (unless high up in management)

I've recently landed a job at 60, and so has my DH at 62. We both started on short term contracts and were then made permanent. One public sector, one private.

Make sure you don't give clues to your age on your CV. When I cottoned on to this, focused on my last two jobs and made my CV look more modern, it was then I started getting interest.

@Thatsnotmynose perhaps - not sure but given the experience of @BrightLightTonight, @Brenelope @LightSpeeds maybe its just me? I guess corporate comms is a bit of a niche field - I never thought about it much before as it was always relatively easy to get interesting challenging work but am obviously doing something wrong at the moment... hey ho!

@Doggymummar - yes it is. Im going to have a good review given everyones comments tho - clearly not doing something right

@DramaAlpaca - good to know. And yes think perhaps a degree gained in 1988 is a bit of a giveaway. I actually wondered whether it is AI thats filtering me out - but perhaps not.

Will have review - I have always worked but my career isnt linear I suppose (albeit always comms related).

Well done to you both for your new roles - a source of inspiration for me and hopefully you are both enjoying your work too :-)

I have experienced this when trying to change jobs and agree with you. So has DH. we are staying where we ate.
Brave new world: expected to work till 70 but no one will hire you!

@LonelyInDville Im sorry that happened to you. I think it is a "thing" (abeit given everyone else comments) not everywhere. I do think perhaps comms is a bit more ageist that other departments but that just might be my feeling. Hope you have a new and better job now with nicer people..... so tedious when it doesnt work out well. Good luck

@Lentilweaver - yes doesnt quite make sense to me. But clearly it doesnt happen everywhere - so not all bad. Glad Im not the only one out there feeling it tho so thank you for posting

OP yes it exists and from indepth research appears to be getting worse. For whatever reason, HR departments do not include ageism in their box ticking recruitment. It would be interesting to know if those who easily secured employment in late middle age have a protected characteristic?

You might find that you need to use your network for more senior jobs. And you are over-qualified for more junior roles. I find mid level managers are very uncomfortable managing someone older - only more senior people get past it.

And in answer to your question: I find senior white males heavily discriminated against now.

I've wondered about this too - I'm looking to move from my current role and its slim pickings. This is the first time I haven't just landed my next job as soon as I started looking, so something is definitely different. I suspect a combination of slightly pricing myself out of the market - as I get more senior and better paid there are naturally fewer roles that represent advancement - but at 56 I think I'm not looking as employable as someone younger.

@DramaAlpaca , I would love your tips on making a CV look more modern! Is it just not mentioning dates, or is there more to it?

I'm wondering how to showcase the depth of experience I bring, without triggering an ageist response.

Plus, what about LinkedIn - no getting away from dates on there (or is there?) and don't potential employers just jump straight on there to look you up?

@DesparatePragmatist yes - Im the same age - its tricky isnt it? I suppose it depends which sector you are in - corporate comms is definitely only for those of a certain age but would imagine other sectors are less ageist. I would definitely give my younger self different careers advice than the route I chose - fun tho its been.

Re linked in - I assume quite a lot is also about interaction and what you post aside from just what your profile says. In fact if you keep your profile limited and up your posts you will probably get away without saying too much.

I am however the one who hasnt got a job yet so perhaps take everything I say with a pinch of salt...

@Taciturn agree with you on that

@Sparklingnorthernlights - I dont know how to research this but am really interested. I feel it would be very informative to work out how many people at the teatime of their lives are actively looking for work, how often they find it and the overall the economic value of their contribution. As we all grow older its going to be more of an issue. WIll dig around and see if there are any useful reports etc - if I find them will post here in case anyone else is feeling as nerdy about it as I clearly am

You may have better luck with government arms length bodies or civil service as the processes mean less age discrimination.

charity sectors

Nah. No different at all. I've worked in loads of different ones.

Same old office politics.

No-one's perfect.

I still say it's better to work in an organisation that "does good" than a capitalist one.

Agism is still alive and kicking OP. But the yoof need a chance too.

Not long just about 18 months or so.

18 months is a HUGE amount of time. The company or NGO have to cover that time.

or give others extra tasks which is shit.....

I've de-aged my CV by only listing the past 10 years of work experience and putting my professional qualification but not dating it.

I could be in my early 30s, not late 40s according to my CV

A bit harder when it comes to interview but I have good skin and reckon I could pass for early 40s

It does seem a lot harder to get jobs than when I was younger but that could be because my industry/ profession is very oversubscribed. Maybe more so than in the past.

I do worry about job hopping when I'm in my 50s and do I just find somewhere to settle down and accept my lot?