Employment

[faizdoutie]

Why does age count against you when applying for a job? This is regardless of the wealth of experience and knowledge you have. This can surely be passed onto prospective colleagues which, will in the end benefit the business as a whole.

 

[GoneWithTheWindows]

Why does age count against you when applying for a job? This is regardless of the wealth of experience and knowledge you have. This can surely be passed onto prospective colleagues which, will in the end benefit the business as a whole.

I guess increased age, means possible increased health issues, perhaps more time off, etc. Also the older you are the more money you expect.

 

[craiglotter]

If the rest of the team is young, then it is a matter of team culture I would say.

 

[Chevron]

Why does age count against you when applying for a job? This is regardless of the wealth of experience and knowledge you have. This can surely be passed onto prospective colleagues which, will in the end benefit the business as a whole.

Younger people are cheaper.

 

[Messugga]

Some skillsets simply don't age well. Programmer salaries reflect this perfectly.

 

[Drifter]

Hiring older people is good for business

When one thinks of older employees, we tend to assume that they’re boring, old fashioned, stiff, grumpy, stubborn and overpaid. Now, whether it's Hollywood that has brainwashed you or not, these are actually very far from the truth. Aged employees offer a range of advantages that younger workers simply lack.

http://www.careers24.com/career-adv...ng-older-people-is-good-for-business-20160301

 

[cfilorux]

Age: it's either for you or against you: it's not neutral. You didn't say whether you are young or old, but generally young is counted as inexperienced, and old is counted as too expensive.

 

[cguy]

Some skillsets simply don't age well. Programmer salaries reflect this perfectly.

That is true, and is definitely a factor, when the programmer doesn't keep up with technologies, however, there are other factors:
- Even though the best developer isn't necessarily the best manager, the worst developer is hardly ever promoted, creating a down bias over time (since managers aren't included in programmer stats).
- The best and most highly paid developers, often "call in rich" before they hit 50. They drive the average salaries up in the 20-50 range, but don't participate in the after 50 range.
- Older developers often seek jobs with better work-life balances, since they have families. These jobs usually pay less.

Anyway, the point is that over time, the selection actually changes, which I believe is the most dominant factor, it's not necessarily that the skill set or ability has decayed over time (although obviously it can happen).

 

[cguy]

Apart from the points mentioned thus far, I think another issue is that less capable managers don't think that they would be able to maintain authority when managing an older employee (older than them). In the few cases where I've seen job adverts advertised (illegally) as "27 years or younger", or some such, the hiring manager is always 28. "Obey me, I'm older than you" is simply no way for a professional to manage.

 

[Suspect99]

Apart from the points mentioned thus far, I think another issue is that less capable managers don't think that they would be able to maintain authority when managing an older employee (older than them). In the few cases where I've seen job adverts advertised (illegally) as "27 years or younger", or some such, the hiring manager is always 28. "Obey me, I'm older than you" is simply no way for a professional to manage.

Tell me about it. I'm 26, managing people in their late 30s and one guy in his 40s. It was hard at first.

 

[Chris14]

Job Hunting can be such a mission and time consuming when you have the qualifications. And more when companies don't provide feedback on what went wrong in the interview etc I feel like naming and shaming the HR Managers seriously!

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Job Hunting can be such a mission and time consuming when you have the qualifications. And more when companies don't provide feedback on what went wrong in the interview etc I feel like naming and shaming the HR Managers seriously!

myself as well, quite hard sometimes.... especially with recruiters...

 

[Zyk1]

Why does age count against you when applying for a job? This is regardless of the wealth of experience and knowledge you have. This can surely be passed onto prospective colleagues which, will in the end benefit the business as a whole.

Depends on the position you applied for I guess.
What field are you in?
The opposite happened to me recently. The position was given to the older guy....

 

[GoneWithTheWindows]

Depends on the position you applied for I guess.
What field are you in?
The opposite happened to me recently. The position was given to the older guy....

1 post wonder, you will not get a reply.

 

[Vegeta]

Age is always a problem you're always too young or too old.
It's the thing that irritates me the most when having to job hunt.

 

[Lupus]

Age is always a problem you're always too young or too old.
It's the thing that irritates me the most when having to job hunt.

Don't forget the we want 20 years experience but you must be under 30 job adverts.

 

[Vegeta]

Don't forget the we want 20 years experience but you must be under 30 job adverts.

What's worse is when they want 10-20years experience but the qualifications are ridiculously low. Makes so little sense you could have wasted the last 15-20years digging in your nose all day never gaining more skill or qualifications and that will be exactly the person they're looking for.