When I began my business journey, my first mentor and still cherished friend, George, gave me advice. He said, “If you aren’t where you want to be professionally by age 40, you will never get there.” While that is not always true, there is something to be said about ageism in the workplace.
Ageism in the workplace is real and still rears its ugly head every day. I have seen it firsthand in companies where a job is posted, and the hiring manager has chosen between a younger person and one with experience. In many cases, the younger person will win hands-down if the older applicant/candidate is even interviewed for the job.
On one occasion in the recent past, I was interviewed for a position as a Director of Training for a regional retail company. I felt like the position was a perfect fit for me. I spent nearly eleven years doing that job with a former company.
During the Zoom interview, I could feel a rapport with the hiring manager, and she told me many of the courses they wanted me to teach, most were ones I had extensive experience presenting. I left the interview feeling hopeful. The job required me to travel between the Bradenton, Florida, home office and the Dallas Metroplex offices. She asked if I was bilingual, which I was not. However, she assured me that they could provide a translator if needed. I waited a week before I called the recruiter back to check on the job. He then informed me that the company had decided to go with someone bilingual. It didn’t go unnoticed by me that the person chosen for the job was in their thirties.
Other instances have occurred with my recent job interviews, or should I say, non-interviews. I applied for a position within my current company, where I was not even chosen for an interview, and the position went to someone in their thirties.
In my current workplace, the average store manager is in their mid-forties, while the average co-manager is in their thirties. They hire people my age for management jobs, but few get above the Coach (assistant manager) position. I was hired off the street for this position and received glowing reviews from both managers I have worked for. One even said on my annual review that I was new to the company, but it was not obvious, as I used my experience and knowledge to handle problems to a permanent resolution.
My manager and co-manager will utilize me to handle tasks that require a brain and not just brawn and stamina. However, when a new position comes for a co-manager position, I have been passed over in favor of a thirty-something twice without even a phone or Zoom interview. Others have shared similar stories on LinkedIn in a few groups I am a member of.
Why do companies look past qualified managers with experience to choose someone with less experience? The slight has varied reasons, depending on the company's needs. One company may go for the younger due to budget constraints. Someone with 30 years of experience should cost more than someone with just a few years. If a company is trying to save money, they might go this route.
Another reason might be that they want youth over age because the older candidate has little to prove (or may be unwilling to live and breathe the company life). Whereas the younger ones will put everything into the job to prove what they are willing to do to get the job. When I was in my early thirties, I would work 12-14 hour days to show how utterly incredible I was to the company. And that kind of effort did manage to get me moved up quickly. I went from assistant manager to District Manager in three months with one company. Once I made DM, I put in even longer hours. I spent as much time on the phone with my stores as at the actual stores. And, of course, I did it for less money than someone with previous experience. Now that I am older, I have realized that no company is worth more than time with family or doing the things we love.
I continued with that company for 26 years, moving up to Director of Training/IT and eventually to VP of Operations. However, when it came to saving more money after being forced to provide insurance for full-time employees during the Obama years, the company cut two of the highest-paid positions. Between the two, they probably paid for the new costs. After that, we two were replaced with one person who took the responsibilities of three jobs for $50 more a week.
Since my downsizing, I have experienced, time after time, companies that don’t schedule an interview. I have paid for resume help and have been coached on writing cover letters. One person even suggested that I only put the last ten years of employment on my resume. The problem is that this only covers the last three years with the company I spent so long with. And since the downsizing, I spent three years self-employed and four years with three companies. Undoubtedly, not presenting myself as a candidate with long-term commitments.
I admit during the first three years; I stayed in a constant state of depression. If I could get myself in front of a hiring manager, I would have a better-than-average chance of getting a job. Getting past the algorithms of ATS software is an art I have yet to master, even with paid help.
Thankfully, there is help out there. A growing community is committed to helping older workers break free and re-invent their careers, myself being one. Another that I have resonated with on LinkedIn is Steven Frampton.
Steven has a non-profit called The Age Movement which provides education about ageism, age discrimination, and breaking the corporate culture of ageism. It provides information to expound on the benefits of hiring older workers. He provides training, education, and public speaking.
I would be lying if I said I still didn’t have occasional feelings of worthlessness. However, I now try to put my effort into helping others like myself to get back into the game. That is what this blog is geared to do.
If you have any experience with ageism, let me know below in the comments. We can share with others and make one small stride at a time. And please consider subscribing to my Substack newsletter to get my posts directly to your inbox. And share with others who you think might find it beneficial. Ageism doesn’t just affect people over 50. Every day, companies will write off a candidate just because of their age, especially with Gen Z. I will also address ageism and its effects on the younger generation.