Ageism Articles
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Ageism And The Law
A forty five year old man puts in a job application at a prominent firm. He is highly qualified, having dedicated most of his life to his area of expertise. He lists on his resume his experience and provides the requested salary requirements. He knows that he is a perfect fit for the job opening. But when it comes time for the interview process, he never gets a call. Yet when he learns about the individual who was given the job in the end, he is shocked to find out that he is the more qualified applicant. The act of discriminating against someone based on his or her age is illegal. But it still persists.
In 1967, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) was passed. It prohibits employment discrimination in the United States against people who are forty years of age or older. The Act also set standards for pensions and benefits that are provided by employers to older workers. In addition, the ADEA required for the first time that information about the needs of older workers be offered to the public. This raised awareness of age discrimination in a new way.
Unfortunately, the issue of ageism seems to be worsening, at least in certain industries. The entertainment and technology industries are two examples. Older applicants are less likely to be interviewed, hired, and given promotions. And while older workers in general make more money than younger ones, this is part of the problem. Some companies are more likely to hire someone who they can pay less.
The ADEA is a general act, but it is very specific about certain areas. Of course, it prohibits discrimination in hiring, firing, promotions, and wages. But it goes into a bit more detail in other concerns. When posting notices about job openings, companies are required to omit any statements or specifications about preferred ages or age limitations.
In addition, the ADEA protects older workers from being denied benefits. However, this gets more complicated. If an employer can provide an older worker with reduced benefits based on age at the same cost as providing full benefits to younger workers, then it is allowed. But if reducing the older workers benefits based on age saves the company any money, the ADEA prohibits this action.
Finally, mandatory retirement is prohibited in most industries. This portion of the act was added in 1978. Also amended later, the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act was passed in 1991.
Overall, a company can only set an age limit in hiring when the age of the employee has been shown to be a bona fide occupational qualification. This includes the obvious type of limitation, such as hiring a young actor to play a young character in a movie. It also covers situations in which public safety is at stake, such as for pilots or public transportation drivers.
Despite all of this groundbreaking legislation, ageism continues. But with some awareness of your rights and the laws in place to protect you, you can seek out a position with less trepidation.
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Develop Your Resume To Combat Ageism
In your job search, you may compete against a large number of younger workers. The work force is older on average today than ever before, but this does not mean that the scales have tipped in favor of older workers. Studies show that younger workers are more frequently called back for interviews based on applications or resumes. So it is important to create a resume that is competitive and will draw the employer's eye away from any prejudice they may have against someone your age and focus their attention on your qualifications.
One great way to do this is by shortening your work history. Most older workers have a long and loyal work history. This used to be the mark of a desirable employee. If you stayed with a firm a long time, it showed future employers that you were hard working, loyal, and reliable. Unfortunately, the same history today might give a potential employer a very different impression.
If you have a long history with one firm, a younger employer may see this as a lack of varied experience. Today, the average length of service at any one company is only three years. That is drastically different than it was even twenty years ago. It is important to keep this in mind when creating a resume that will reflect to the employer what they want in a candidate, not what you think they should want.
Try limiting your work history to the last ten or fifteen years. If you work in a managerial capacity, list your experience over the last fifteen years. This will give plenty of time to show the path of your advancement, while putting a cap on the length of time you have been in the workforce. A potential employer will not automatically assume you are older, and this could get you an interview with someone who might not see you otherwise.
If you are working in a technological field limit your work history to ten years. If you have pertinent experience that occurred before this time period, list it under "Other Experience" on your resume. Do not use dates here, but do list the skills you think are pertinent to the job opening.
Another way to enhance your resume is to give plenty of examples of your willingness to learn. If you sense that the potential employer might have a problem with your age, include new words and a vibrant attitude in your resume wording. Have someone younger than you read through it and suggest synonyms for words you have used. Do not use slang here of course, but do show you are current. Express your latest interest in new technology by including that graphic design class you took, or show how you have recently added blogging to your website.
Finally, if you held a long-term position with one firm, say for ten years or more, you can divide this into segments. Try separating the job into different periods of time and calling them Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3 etc. You can create the sense that you held different positions within the firm. This will come across as the diversity that many modern employers are seeking. Do not, however, make up new job titles to go with the segments if you had the same title the entire time.
Overall, emphasize the things that make you stand out, but remember that today's job market is looking for a different set of assets and play to those strengths.
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Facing Up To Youthful Competition With Confidence
As more and more older workers stay longer and longer in the workforce, ageism is a more current concern. You may find that you are pitted against younger candidates for every job you seek. You may find the people interviewing you are younger as well. It is important to keep up your confidence when you are interviewing for a new position or when you are competing for a promotion within your current firm. Here are some tips to stay on top of your game:
Review your strengths. When you create your resume, you should be placing your strengths front and center. The skills that make you the best candidate for the position should be clearly and concisely listed for your employer. Review these. Spend some time before the interview going over in your mind the reasons that you are the best choice.
Garner support. Your friends and family can offer you a great deal of support during a career change or during times of job stress. Allow them to help you. Rehearse interview techniques with someone you trust. Have them give you feedback on your strengths as well. Be open to hearing any constructive criticism they may have for you about your professional appearance or attitude.
Avoid negativity. It may be tempting to point out the competition's weaknesses, but avoid this at all costs. Studies conclude that in interview situations, including the long process of earning a promotion, any negative comments coming from you will only reflect badly on you. So keep your statements positive. Point out the ways you are qualified instead of the ways your competition is not.
Keep up with current industry trends. This means you need to learn about current trends in marketing, distribution, and communication. You will not be able to compete successfully with younger workers if you do not understand the ways in which they communicate and market themselves, not just their businesses.
Never stop learning. Take some brush up classes in your field. Learn about the latest hands on technology. Sign up for a class in a field directly related to yours. Learning stimulates you to new ideas, which keeps you young at heart.
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Fighting Back Against Ageism
Ageism was made illegal in the United States in 1967. However, it continues today and may be on the rise in certain industries. With a generation of people getting older and staying in the work force, ageism is at the forefront of people's minds once again. The idea that a younger worker is more likely to get an interview than an older worker simply based on age is frustrating, and it is also illegal.
But what can you do? Well, there are some things you need to know before you can really defend yourself against ageism. First, you need to understand the laws. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) was passed in 1967, and this act prohibits employment discrimination against people who are forty years of age or older. When it was passed, Congress also set standards for employer provided pensions and benefits for older workers. It was also at this time that Congress required that information about the needs of older workers be offered to the general public. Awareness of age discrimination rose like never before.
Overall, the ADEA prohibits discrimination in hiring, firing and layoffs, promotions, and wages. But it also addresses some more specific situations. Employers that post job openings are required to keep any statements or specifications about preferred ages or age limitations out of the notices.
The ADEA also protects older workers from being denied benefits. And today, mandatory retirement is prohibited in most industries.
It is important to be aware that a company can only set an age limit for a position when the age of the employee has been shown to be a bona fide occupational qualification. This includes limitations such as hiring a young actor to play a young character in a movie and also applies to situations in which public safety is at stake, such as for pilots or bus drivers.
Knowing what the basic laws are can help you be prepared when you go to an interview. You do not want to be confrontational obviously, but many people act more out of ignorance than malice. When you leave, remember to take notes about any portions of the conversation you feel were inappropriate. And do not worry if you answered these inappropriate or illegal questions. The employer is liable whether you answered them or not.
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Making Your Experience Count
When searching for a job, you may find that you do not have the necessary experience to meet many of the qualifications. Alternatively, you may find that no matter what your experience, employers are still not hiring you. Whatever your experience level, it is vital that you present your skills in a way that will demonstrate to the potential employer that you have what it takes to do the job. So how do you take your experience and put in on paper or talk it up so that it really counts?
Focus on Your Skills
This is especially true if you feel that you do not have much experience. You would be surprised at what you have learned in areas outside of the work place. Think about volunteer opportunities, family work, hobbies, school, and even jobs that seem to have no bearing on your current field. The skills you learned in all areas of your life are transferable to other areas. For instance, you may have been the accountant for a parenting organization or fundraiser. These accounting skills are transferable to the workplace. So, make a list of your skills. Some examples might be:
Writing
Editing
Accounting
Bookkeeping
Multi-line phone
Event planning
Marketing strategy
Sales
Customer Service
Along with this list, make a list of your personal qualities. For example, if you are good at customer service, then you are patient, dependable, and professional. After you have prepared your lists, see how you can incorporate these into your resume. If you have very little experience, try writing a functional resume rather than a chronological one. This will emphasize your skills rather than your job history. Become familiar with these attributes and emphasize them at your interview.
Demonstrate Your Abilities
Ask your potential employer for an opportunity to demonstrate your skills. If you have very little experience, ask for a working interview or an audition where you can prove to your interviewer that your skills are transferable.
Play to Your Strengths
If you have plenty of experience but it is in the wrong field or it doesn't seem to be getting the attention you think it deserves, draw out the skills you learned in each setting and emphasize those rather than the previous jobs. By creating a picture of yourself as a candidate with all the necessary skills, your experience will work for you instead of against you.
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Overcoming Ageism In An Interview
When looking for a job in today's competitive job market, there are some things that will hold you back. If you lack the proper skill set to compete with other applicants, you will have a hard time getting an interview. If you lack the people skills you need to deal with customers, you may not get past the interview. But one thing that should not hold you back is your age. Unfortunately, this happens a lot more often than it should.
Ageism is at the forefront of people's minds today as the Baby Boomer generation sees another year go by and continues to work. The average age of retirement is increasing with every passing year. Our work force in general has more older people competing for jobs and promotions than ever before. So if older workers are so common, why should their age be a problem?
There are several reasons for age discrimination. Some employers may believe that you do not have the proper training or knowledge to do the job, especially if there is a technical aspect. In an interview, it is vital to stress the training you have had and not necessarily your tenure with another firm. You want to show the potential employer that you are willing and able to keep learning, to stay ahead of industry changes, and to be an asset to the company.
Another reason some employers do not want to hire older workers is the salary difference. Older workers make substantially more on average than younger workers. This means that if you do not show the employer you can offer something a younger worker cannot, you may be passed over for someone less qualified but also less financially demanding. In an interview, keep in mind that you want to look at the entire benefit package as a whole, not just the salary. As you age, your benefit package may change. Ask the employer about their policy.
In the interview process, some older workers find that younger interviewers ask inappropriate if not illegal questions. If you find yourself in an awkward position where the employer is obviously fishing for details about your exact age, you may want to deflect the question. Try to answer in a way that is productive for you, while not offending the interviewer.
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Proving An Employer Wrong On The Age Question
So you heard about the promotion and have thrown your hat in the ring for the position. Now, you realize that you will be competing with people half your age. You see that they have far less experience and yet far more rapport with the younger boss. What can you do to prove the boss wrong when it comes to hiring on the basis of age?
There are of course laws that protect you from age discrimination. According to Congress, you are not to be discriminated against in wages, hiring, firing, or benefits. But what if no law is broken out in the open? What if the age discrimination happens behind closed doors? Or what if the age discrimination comes in the form of prejudice that cannot be detected except by that hunch you get every time you walk in the office?
These are examples of age discrimination, but you do not necessarily have to take the issue to the lawyers to settle it. Many people, especially younger employers, have prejudices when it comes to older workers. They have the unfounded ideas that older workers are less able to adapt to changing technology and communication methods. Some believe that older people are less likely to fit in well with office culture. These misconceptions may go unspoken.
But if you suspect that your boss or your potential employer is concerned about promoting or hiring you based on age, you can help to settle their mind about the issue before it becomes an obstacle. Remind them of the advances you have made in learning new technology and mastering communications techniques. Also bring to light your long history of success for the firm. When you point out how much money you have brought in and continue to bring in, you will remind them of your proven track record.
But more importantly, prove your stamina is the same as a younger worker by putting in the hours and the effort you need to succeed. Unfortunately, when competing with a younger worker, your long work history may not play in your favor. The employer wants to know that you are fit for future challenges, so take on some extra project and show your initiative and innovation. Overall, impress them with what you are doing now, rather than what you have done in the past.
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Top Tips For Combating Ageism
In a world where youth is a marketing force, the work place is run more and more by younger and younger people. However, as the Baby Boom generation hits another birthday, there are more and more qualified and capable older workers available to fill job openings and move into managerial positions. If you are an older worker either looking for a new position or hoping for a promotion, you will need to keep a few things in mind.
First, ageism does happen. Yes, there are laws against it and if caught discriminating against someone on the basis of age an employer can be prosecuted. But ageism occurs most often in the form of subtle and unspoken decisions. The decision to interview a younger applicant instead of an older one. The decision to promote the younger employee at a lower salary than the older employee with more experience would require. These decisions may not be obvious to anyone but you. So here are some ways to combat ageism in your career:
Stay up to date. One of the most common complaints about older candidates who have extensive experience in their fields is that the experience occurred when the industry was very different. Changes in technology and marketing methods have made drastic impacts on the work place. It is vital that you keep up with that information. Subscribe to an industry newsletter to keep up with trends.
Stay trained. You may have been at your job for thirty years, but that does not mean that you cannot benefit from further training. Try taking a class in an area directly related to your field that will diversify your skill set and make you a more attractive candidate.
Stay honest. You may be tempted to change your work history or vary your job titles to show some diversity in your experience. This is unnecessary. Instead, emphasize your skills and if you spent years at the same job, also emphasize your ability to adapt to change.
Stay current. When applying for a new position, limit the experience you list on your resume to the last ten or fifteen years. Any more will make you seem either overqualified or too expensive.
Stay within the law. Review the laws on age discrimination to be sure you understand what your rights are. This will help you avoid getting into a situation that could keep you from getting or keeping your job.
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When Experience Is Dismissed Because Of Age
When it comes to experience, older workers have the advantage on younger employees and job candidates. You may have a wealth of experience in your field. Perhaps you stayed with one company for the last ten to thirty years. Or maybe you worked for two different companies in that time frame. You are probably hoping that this will be a plus on your resume as you begin your job search. Or if you are gunning for a promotion, your long tenure with the firm may seem like the reason they ought to move you to a higher position.
Unfortunately, some of these old rules do not apply to the modern workplace. In contrast to how it used to be, experience and tenure at a company can actually work against you. Many older job applicants are turned away with the excuse that they are overqualified. This may or may not be a form of ageism. The person doing the hiring may feel that your long tenure at your previous job could keep you from easily adapting to the new position and company atmosphere. Or they might think that your long work experience entitles you to a salary that they are not prepared to offer you.
One way to deal with this scenario is to limit the amount of experience that you list on your resume. Try only representing the latter part of your work history. If you are in a managerial position or you are seeking one, list your related experience over the last fifteen years. This will show ample time for you to have moved up in the ranks of your previous firm, but will not show so much history that you may be more of a liability in terms of change and salary. If you are in a technology field, limit your work history to the last ten years.
If you feel that your experience prior to the last ten or fifteen years is important to your qualifications as a candidate and you could precluded without it, try listing it under "Other Experience" where you can describe it without dates.
Another common problem with older workers with a lot of work experience is that the experience they have is dismissed due to their age. While there may be no factual way to prove this violation of the age discrimination laws, most people are aware when it is happening. This occurs especially in industries where the landscape changes on a regular basis, such as technology or marketing. You may find yourself with years of experience that will seem irrelevant to a younger employer.
In this scenario, think about how you can divide your experience down into types of work. Again, leave off any work history beyond the last ten or fifteen years and list other experience in another section of your resume without dates. Add special emphasis to your most recent training by placing it in a prominent position.
If you are current in your industry, you should not be discriminated against for experience that occurred many years ago. Use your skills wisely and think about what the modern employer really wants in a new hire.
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Why Age Should Not Be An Issue
If you are entering the work force as an older worker or if you are changing careers after a long tenure in another profession, you may run into the problem of age discrimination. Despite the laws protecting US citizens against such discrimination, it does persist. Many older workers find themselves the victims of discrimination on a daily basis. If you are looking for a job or even seeking a promotion within your current company, you may want to be aware of the battles you may face and have at hand some logical reasons why your age should not be an issue in your ability to perform.
For many years, a long tenure at a company was the desired goal. An individual went to school, graduated in the selected field, and took an internship. After the internship, or perhaps directly out of school, the person then took an entry position at a company. As they worked their way through the company's various duties and learned all the ins and outs of the firm and how they do business, they were promoted, slowly and steadily. The idea was that you got a job and settled with a company. This place would be your source of income and business for a lifetime, if you were lucky.
When employers looked for good workers, they looked either for someone fresh out of school they could train up, or they looked for someone who displayed a loyalty to their company. Perhaps they might hire someone who had been with a firm for a number of years and only left due to the firm's closing. Whatever the reason, ten, twenty, even thirty years with a company was considered attractive in a job candidate. It spoke of responsibility and reliability in the individual.
However, today things are much different. The average tenure at a company is three years. This is drastically different than it used to be and the expectations of employers are just as different. They are looking for someone who can change with the times and adapt to sudden market or technology shifts.
The argument that an older worker who has twenty years at one company is not as able to adapt is groundless. The ability to adapt is one that comes from willingness to learn. This quality is present in people regardless of age.
For those people looking to gain a promotion and facing age discrimination, there is a similar argument drawing on the same current statistics. If the average stay for an employee is three years, then the concern of some employers that promoting an older worker would garner them less time from that worker than from a younger worker is unfounded. In fact, the older worker, now that retirement is not mandatory, could well stay longer than someone younger looking to vary their experience.
Age is not a factor in intellectual ability either. In fact, many older workers tend to be more focused on the job. Without small children to distract from the time they give to the company, older workers can be called upon to give more time and commitment than many younger workers with families. They also lend stability to the office environment that is desirable.
Deciding whether or not to hire someone based on their age does a disservice to the person being considered for the job as well as to the company doing the hiring. Preconceived ideas about what happens to us as we age may stand in the way of gaining a capable and even outstanding worker. The only time that age should come in to play in a job description is when it is age appropriateness required by the job, such as a young actor to play a young character, or when it is required for public safety. The latter involves jobs such as public transportation drivers or pilots who are restricted by an age limit due to declining physical acuity necessary to operate their vehicles.
Otherwise, age is not an issue. And in fact, older workers may be found to be more emotionally stable, more loyal to the company, and more committed to the job.
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