Being middle-aged, I am coming across young 20-something recruiters who simply refuse to submit me forward to contract positions at the temp agencies I have joined -- I think, because I'm middle-aged. And before you accuse me of being paranoid, read
this article in the NYT about how real "age bias in hiring" is.
Quote:
|
The shadow of age bias in hiring, though, is long. Tens of thousands of workers say that even with the right qualifications for a job, they are repeatedly turned away because they are over 50, or even 40, and considered too old.
|
Just yesterday, I was chatting with my cousin's daughter who is a recruiter, sharing my frustration about why recruiters won't push me forward for jobs I'm fully qualified for, and cite "your experience is TOO OLD. Our clients need more up to date experience." She immediately responded, "Oh, yeah, that sounds like age bias to me." She's in her late 20s too.
This is SO FRUSTRATING! I'm 48 and I can't even get a 1-year experience receptionist job! Yet the recruiters will urge me to take really ****** contract work that pays low and is always the temp to hire, which I won't do b/c no one can pay rent on $13-$15/hr. And that is my situation. Yes, I need to work. But no, I'm not going to desperately accept the WRONG type of work, because that sets me up in a cycle I won't be able to get out of (been there, done that already).
Quote:
Older workers are much more likely to wrestle with prolonged joblessness than younger ones, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. On average, a 54-year-old job hunter will be unemployed for nearly a year.
Repeated inquiries can go unanswered, like space probes lost in a distant galaxy. In one of the most comprehensive studies, résumés were sent out on behalf of more than 40,000 fictitious applicants of different ages for thousands of low-skill jobs like janitors, administrative assistants and retail sales clerks in 12 cities. In general, the older they were, the fewer callbacks they got.
Those in their 60s “never do better, and often do worse,” than those a decade or two younger, said David Neumark, an economics professor at the University of California, Irvine, who oversaw the research.
It is toughest for women, who suffer more age discrimination than men starting in their 40s, the researchers found. “The evidence of age discrimination against women kind of pops out in every study,” Mr. Neumark said.
|
^^^This! This is exactly what I've been experiencing. I can't tell you how many 20-something recruiters
mismanage my expectations with them, for finding me a job, by telling me "your resume looks great you have a lot of experience," to "we'll reformat your resume to make sure the client sees your experience," Yet these same recruiters won't even submit me for relevant admin/receptionist roles.
That one phone interview i had last week would have paid me $42K a year for an admin role where all I do is schedule travel and meetings for 5 execs who I'd never see in person b/c they always travel. Well, if my choice is between that job and no job, I'll take that job. But the recruiter has not called me back yet (I know it's only Monday) so I can just assume she passed on me as a candidate after the phone interview....probably because I'm too old and a woman.