What can you do about ageism in hiring?

It is quite often that a mid- to late-career client asks me how far back in their work experience should they go in writing their resume.  The person will say they have heard to put only the most recent 10 years, some say 15.  My most common answer to clients’ questions regarding resumes, interviews, etc. is “It depends.”  

I don’t believe there is one right number.  I think those who advise a set number of years, such as 10 or 15, do so because it is simpler to recommend a one-size-fits-all than to advise on an individual basis.  There are many guidelines that are common to nearly all job seekers, but everyone has something that calls for special attention.  In addition to these particulars, other variables include how much experience is deemed appropriate for a specific industry, company, function, or job level.

Unfortunately, age discrimination does exist, primarily against older workers, but often it is against younger employees.  If it is age discrimination, which we all know is illegal, it is usually nearly impossible to prove.  For older workers, I have found that in most cases, the issue is not tied to an age number.  It may be the expectation that a more senior candidate will require a higher compensation than someone earlier in their career.  Or, there is a concern that an older candidate may be approaching retirement, and so will only stay employed for a few years.  However, the average job tenure among employees of all ages is less than five years (last recorded in 2012 by the US Department of Labor), and just over three years for those younger than forty.

I think the primary reason may be that the employer assumes that someone who is older has tired, stale ideas and ways of performing the job and has less energy and enthusiasm. These are factors that you can and should eliminate with your actual behavior, body language and voice during an interview, even when it is on the phone.

But, you must first get the interview which means that you do not want to give them any reason for discarding your resume on first glance.

For those who have been out of college at the undergraduate level for 12-20 years or more, I would omit graduation dates.  In general, 12-18 years of experience is the time span I recommend, depending on the variables mentioned above (industry, company, function, job level) as well as how pertinent the particular experience is to the position you seek.  My advice is to include only achievements that are relevant to your targeted role, even in your more recent experience.

 

Hi my name is Mauri, and I am the President of Career Insiders, a career management and talent acquisition consulting firm. I speak frequently at conferences, job fairs, and career panels. I have been invited to speak at NCHRA’S Annual HR West Conference. I consult with career centers at universities including UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, Tulane University, Mills College, and others, and contribute regularly to publications such as TheLadders RecruitBlog. I am what some might consider a professional “people person.”

Unhappy with Your Job?

At some time in their careers, most people come to a point when they’re so unhappy with their jobs that they want to make drastic changes in their careers, “I don’t want to do this anymore. I need a change!”

It’s true that many aren’t cut out for their current careers or find they have a strong passion for another field, and should be making efforts to take on something new. However, most of the time, they can achieve change, and job satisfaction, without taking such drastic action.

It is essential for someone in this situation to dig deep to discover the real reason s/he is unhappy before proceeding down a path to change careers. Accordingly, a career coach or counselor should initiate such a conversation before proceeding to help her/his client pursue a new career path.

Keep in mind that organizations hire you because you’ve proven from your experience and achievements that you can be successful in their organization…not for what you think you can do. This is especially true today’s tight job market.

How do you know?

Ask yourself, “What is the primary reason you are unhappy?” ( “Burned out” is not a reason.)

• Are you not getting enough recognition/respect from your manager? Upper management? Your colleagues?
• Are you not getting paid enough…or what you think you should be getting?
• Are you working too many long days, nights, and weekends?
• Are you required to travel much more than you’d like?
• Are you commuting much more than you’d like?
• Do you have the necessary skills and/or tools to be successful?
• Are you spending too much of your time doing tasks that you hate?
• Do you have ethical or moral conflicts with your manager or the company?

Then ask yourself:

• If I could change anything about my job what would it be?
• Is there a realistic chance of getting this change made?

There are several options to take before giving up entirely on your current career.

• Have a conversation with your manager and ask if there is a way to get what you need.
• Look for other opportunities in the same company.
• Look for similar opportunities in a different company, industry, or location.

As Barbara Safani, owner of a NY career management firm, said in a New York Times article a while back, ’A lot of people who say that they hate what they do actually hate who they do it for.

If after doing this analysis, you still feel strongly about pursuing another career, perform your due diligence. Thoroughly research the field and talk to people in the field to learn what it’s really like.

• What education or skills do I need to acquire?
• What are the costs involved – financial, time, other?
• Can I afford these costs?
• Am I willing to start at the bottom again?

Hi I’m Mauri, President/CEO of Career Insiders, a career management and talent acquisition consulting firm. I speak frequently at conferences, job fairs, and career panels. My favorite client update is, “I did everything you told me to and I got the job!”

Career Insiders’ Talent Acquisition services are focused on executive and senior management level positions in sales/marketing, finance, corporate legal, and HR. Please contact me for more info.

Ace the Phone Interview

Congratulations on getting that interview!  These days it takes hard work to get even that far in the search process.  That is unless you have expertise in some esoteric programming stream processing framework like Storm, S4 or Samza.  Huh?

Anyway, back to the issue at hand.  First, consider a phone interview pretty much like a face-to-face meeting. Prepare in detail just as you would normally.  Dress the same too.  Create a private space without noise or distraction to take the call, one where you know you will get the best phone reception.  Be ready a few minutes ahead of time and operating on all cylinders – be at your best.

The nice thing about phone interviews (that are not Skyped) is that you can have some notes in front of you, but be very careful not to have too much. You don’t want to be in the position of making noise by shuffling papers or taking too much time to answer because you’re searching through your notes to find it.

Use your computer to help you, one with a big enough screen to be useful.  Not your phone; it’s not big enough. I highly recommend that you bring up the person’s LinkedIn profile so that you can talk to the person directly. It’s not ideal in that the facial expression is fixed and you won’t be able to read body language, but I believe you can still tell a great deal just from a photograph.

And don’t forget to prepare ahead.  You can download a free copy of my proven Interview Prep Guide from the Resources page of my web site.  Good luck!