5 Quick Tips For Fighting Age Discrimination

Thanks for the comments. @Kenneth M a question back to you. Did you check out the company prior to the interview? If this company hires mainly 18-24 yr olds, it must have been pretty obvious by their website or other information regarding this company? I would be curious to hear how you answered her question. From my perspective, the thing that always gets me about questions like this is that this is nothing new. Older workers have been leading younger workers since the beginning of time. So we have a name for each generation now - the Greatest Generation that ever lived, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Y, Z, Millennials - not matter what name we give to each "generation", we have been working together for all time. So how did our managers handle us when we were the 18-24 yr old employees? If you can answer that, you have the answer to her question.

I had an experience during an interview that caught me off guard. The interviewer asked "How will you deal working with millennials?" I took a pause, and then replied that I wouldn't treat them any differently and that most of my former staff were in their 20's. In my mind, I wanted to say I wouldn't hold it against them, but she was serious. Her follow up to that question was what really caused me to wonder what they were looking for when she stated that "most of your associates will be 18 - 24 years old? How will you relate to them?" I am still deciding whether to file a claim or not...

Calling the organization out for age discrimination, however legally justified, is the last resort because complaining will surely lose the applicant the job. On another point: In Canada, at least, it is not illegal to discriminate on the basis of age, gender, religion or any other bias if it is not an employer-employee relationship. Much work is contracted instead of being employment. It is illegal to discriminate in employment but not in contract work in Canada.

I was a young guy once but now I'm older and I'm still running circles around these young guys. They don't make them like they used to

@Ron D thanks for your comments. You have to take job postings with a grain of salt. Of course they are going to ask for the earth, moon and stars but, when it comes to reality, they know that they are not going to get that perfect employee. They tell you that they want x years of experience but, if you have other skills that they need, they won't look too hard at your years of experience. They are just looking for the best possible candidate which is why they add some impossible qualifications to the posting. Many companies today are only looking for short-time employees. Many companies today don't hire employees on a permanent basis but hire only for a project - which means contract or freelance work with no benefits.

And some even want more time in experience than the inventor has since he 1st invented the technology

The jobs seem to be myopic in that each is a narrow discipline, has a short time need and minimal experience.

One reason why companies prefer younger workers is that the health care insurance premiums are more for older workers.

that is true you should do the right thing

Thanks for the comments. @David Hutton sure do hear your frustration. 5 to 7 years is just a guideline. If you have more than that, by all means apply. If you have less than that but feel that you are qualified in all other aspects, apply. The job postings are simply guidelines for the positions - not a do or die. They need to put something out there so they get all parties involved and they go over what they need in the new hire. Sometimes it seems crazy when you see a posting that says we need a PhD but we are only willing to pay $10/hr. Seriously?! So just take the qualifications with a grain of salt and apply for a position if you feel that you are qualified. Honestly there isn't a clear cut way to get around the age question. You put down the jobs that you have worked - they know. Most online apps will ask for the year you graduated and you can't proceed until you input it. And @David Hutton - most job apps end with the equal opportunity statement as that's a requirement. The bottom line here folks is - if you are qualified for the position then apply. If you don't hear back then you move on but at least you applied and tried. It's better than reading a job posting and not even making an attempt to get your foot in the door by applying. Most companies are not going to find a job seeker who has everything that they are looking for. But if you get scared away and never even attempt to apply - well, game over.

What's Wrong With This Picture ? Facility:Corporate Office
Relocation Provided: No
Education Required: Juris Doctor
Experience Required: 5 - 7 Years

Then at The End it Says ("Ruefully") We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or..... local protected class" . Ok, Got it !

Now, ask yourself this question : Which Part of This Classification can you relate to any of their "Non-Discriminatory" practices ? Answer : Only Age ! ! ! So why Only between 5-7 Years ??? Why not 5-8 Years ? Are they saying "we want you to have at Least 5 years experience but we Do Not want you to have more than 7" ? So they do not want too much experience ? Is that what they mean ? Answer : No, That is NOT what they mean ! They instead mean : "we know that the age of the average of the average Graduate is 31 so we know your age will be below 40" Additionally, How do they know that 5 years will be enough experience ? And why on Earth would they not want someone who has more experience than 7 years ? Why is this a detriment ? This is no more than a "subversion" of the Rules, an attempt to evade the Statute.

I have been working with the Special Needs population for 30 years. I have lived all aspects of what working with the population entails, including changing diapers of male students over 16 years off age (physically grown men and I am not a nurse) to teaching feeding skills to those capable. I have been told that my interviews were wonderful and all were impressed

@David Weidman thanks for your comment. It is true that there are times when you can't get around the age question such as HS graduation date or college date. If there is a job that is of real interest to you, try checking around for another way to get your resume into the company. Maybe you know someone who works there and can get your resume into the hiring manager's hands. Or maybe you even know the hiring manager and can send your resume directly to him/her. I totally agree that age should not be a factor but sadly I am in the minority here. It is also true that age discrimination is hard to fight or to prove. @Craig Langaster thanks for your comment. The question back to you is - "how do they know what your ethnicity is?" One big way to fight it is to not post your photo on any of your job seeking accounts. Just list your skills and experience and see what happens.

Too bad there are not any real tips for fighting racial discrimination. I get that with the age discrimination.

I totally agree with the previous comments when it comes to filling out your application on a specific company job site. Really? Who cares when I graduated high school? The potential employer does because they can assume you were approximately 17-18 years old when you graduated and determine your current age by filling in the years from then up to now. You also need to fill in the years you attended college/higher education. This information needs to be inputted or the application process will not continue. Your work experiences and skills should be what matters the most. They'll never say you were rejected because of age and send the same old canned response (if they send one at all) that “they have decided to continue their search for other candidates who better qualify for this role." Really?

Thanks for the great comments. @Chris H - sadly the President doesn't really have anything to do with the hiring process that companies use. If he did, Pres Obama would have taken care of it a long time ago. Of course you would always tweet our new Pres and see if you get any type of response. What do you have to lose? Companies just determine what they will or will not accept in a new hire and then beat the bushes for that one ideal. @Robin W it would be great if companies could get a tax credit every time they hire someone over 40 but then you would hear the cry of those under 40 being discriminated against due to age. There is no win-win here. Thanks for your description of the 1 way videos. Yes they are starting to gain momentum in their use. Personally I think that they are terrible - especially if you are a person who is shy or who just can't excel in such an impersonal environment. Time will tell how effective this particular type of interview will be. @Dino B - yes they do ask for graduation year and, on some applications, you must input that date before you can continue on. Companies make sure that they cover their basis on this, too. You would think that companies would be sued right and left over this but they aren't. Sadly it's the way of the job hunting world today. All you can do is keep applying. All the best.

Lots of jobs ask what year did you graduate is another way to see how old you are since they can't ask you your age

Another new technique that is being used are called 1 sided video interviews where the employers send a link and you use a video to answer preset questions. It then goes back to the managers who view them and decide if they want to see you or not. Seems like another new method to prescreen out candidates if they don't look good on a video they are eliminated. But, to all out there, I've been laid off from major companies 3 times in the past 10 years. I did manage to get other jobs. The last job was a contract. They hired me almost on the spot. The contract ended and now I am back on the market. I've gotten flat rejections, I've also had interviews, and from Nov. 2016 to now I have applied to 120 jobs. I've had 5 on-site interviews. 3-4 agent interviews and some phone interviews also. Just getting on-site is a lot of work, because there are well over 100 applicants for each job where I live. (Connecticut). My advice, keep trying and keep all options open. Make sure you prep for all interviews and look good when you get there and have your people skills ready. Many of the interviews now include multiple people. You have to impress and show what you bring to the table. Be ready for questions, and answer honestly and unrehearsed. Best of luck to all!!

How about a tax credit to companies to hire unemployed, or workers over 40 years. That may get them moving. I agree with the Chris H. below. I was surprised the new job applications ask about medical and one even asked age range!

It would be appropriate if Trump, who is more than seventy, would be willing to dictate that age discrimination under any guise was illegal, and stick to that. I doubt that he will, but it would be appropriate for him to do so.

Smiling increases your face value.

Sure~

It is difficult to fight age discrimination when on the employment application and resume, employers are asking for the date and year of graduation for high school and college.