Being part of the corporate world in the present day has many ramifications. There is a lot of competition in every field. For anyone to really cut his/her way through this environment and come up head first is an achievement by itself.
With technology on the upswing on a nearly day to day basis, it can get difficult for the average job seeker to find something that he/she can fit into, like the right piece in the right place in a jigsaw puzzle. Along with all the other issues that dictate or govern prospective employment, age is also beginning to play a discriminatory role in actual hiring of staff.
Age Related Prejudices
A popular misconception is that age is a defining attribute while being considered for a job, that a young person, say in his/her 20’s or early 30’s, may not have the right attitude or capability to handle a particular job.
This kind of discrimination is not only unfair, but it also undermines a well-qualified person’s confidence. To be compared to a person in his 40’s or 50’s, who obviously has more life experience is not fair to the younger generation who may have other qualities which make them equally suited to the job in question.
By the same token, there is a common perception that youngsters of today want less responsibility, more emoluments and remuneration and are looking at flexible working hours as well. This is in contrast to the slightly older lot who may be amiable to what the company is offering.
Stability is another factor that can lead a company to make age-related decisions while hiring employees. The younger generation is looking for challenges at every step while the older group has “been there, done that”, so the odds of an older person staying put in the job are more than a younger who may find that he/she wants to spread his/her wings.
What you can do?
Whatever your age group, first you must ascertain what is it that you, as a person is looking for. Then you take a call on whether the company you are applying to will be able to give you the career move that you are aiming for.
Once these two points have been sorted out and cleared, you will find that not only are you batter able to handle age related questions in your interview, you can also show the prospective employers that they will not be making mistake in hiring you, age notwithstanding.
If the job you are eying requires certain certifications or technical skills, why not first acquire them and then start applying. In case the job is such that much of the training can be done only while doing it, ensure in the interview you come across as someone who is eager to learn new things. And once you get the job, do not be satisfied by just doing the job; instead find out how you can offer more value to the company. If need be, train yourself in different fields, take courses wherever they are offered, expand your knowledge base and your skill-sets, so that the company can benefit more from you being a part of the team.
These are some things that will ensure that you are not a victim of reverse age discrimination whatever your age bracket is. Make use of them.
