I had always heard about age discrimination, but never thought it would apply to me until I was in my 50’s or 60’s. I’m still in my 40’s, and think I’m seeing it in my job search.
I’ve got what I think is a pretty impressive resume, but seldom get called for an interview even though I think the job is something I am really suited to. A couple of times, I have had the face-to-face, but never the follow up.
I was beginning to think that maybe I interviewed badly, or my resume wasn’t as good as I thought. All kinds of self-doubt. I worked with a person that specializes in helping people find jobs (a coach, not a recruiter), and she suggested going back to one particular employer to ask some questions.
I explained that I respected their decision, and was not trying to second guess it, or anything like that. I explained that I had been looking for work for a long time, and wanted to understand what I was doing wrong so I wold do better going forward. At first, the person was a little hesitant, but she explained that they had chosen a younger candidate because they would bring more energy and fresh ideas. She also said that in their experience, people my age would not be satisfied with salary they were willing to offer for the position.
Lastly, she said my resume was great, and I had interviewed very well – no changes needed there.
So what do you think?
