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Becoming more obvious to me that I am “old”. The interviewers are young enough to be my child. Their mothers are my age. (Sometimes they mention their family in a conversation.). My observation. Is NOT a criticism, BTW. It is their world now. I am looking to work 5-7 more years then .....retire.
I went to a last minute interview yesterday....insurance company looking for agents to set up an agency. (I did not have a job description beforehand) I was approached via a job board employer who loved my sales resume. What the heck..I went. After a very professional interview and listening to his presentation on the process to open an office I finally did stop him to let him know my appreciation for his efforts, his professionalism and that I did not have 5-10 years to open and grow an agency as it would not be in their interest to have a short-timer . He was appreciative as was I. Overall it was a great interaction.
I am learning that I should readjust my true priorities when looking at a job description. This time MY AGEISM took over. On my behalf.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Good observation. In fact, I have been getting Linkedin suggestions for jobs that I am well-suited for that pay well but it's not worth the bother of changing just for the 3-4 years I have left before retiring, even if these employers wanted to hire someone my age (not likely). Here where I am now we have hired people in their 60s, but for executive positions. In some cases it was to reorganize a division, and well known that the person was not going to stay long.
My co-workers comment on this frequently......that ageism is misplaced.
People in their mid-to-late 50s are the very people who WILL STAY until retirement...5,8,10 years.
And they're mature enough and experienced enough to want to come in, and do their work with a modicum of dedication until they leave.
Whereas, the 25, 30 or even 35 year-old who's hired won't stay a year if s/he gets the right offer....And those are the workers who would actually be proactively LOOKING for better gigs so they could leave.
Older workers would be more likely to not even look to leave, and be content to ride out their careers.
Do employers want a cheap revolving door of employees? Or loyal workers who will stay?
(And for those workers who've already had their major career....while they might not want to work AS cheaply AS the 22-year-old, truth be told a fair number probably could afford to make less than they did before. Many people who were booted from their careers and didn't have a choice about it.....after being unemployed for a year would take lower offers than some might imagine, and are most concerned about the health insurance benefit than the salary. So the older workers aren't THAT expensive.)
I'm pushing 70, and I had a 25 year old interviewer ask me if I was at least 16! I think it must be her first HR job out of college, because she was reading the questions off of a sheet of paper in front of her.
i'm pushing 70, and i had a 25 year old interviewer ask me if i was at least 16! I think it must be her first hr job out of college, because she was reading the questions off of a sheet of paper in front of her.
The OP seems to be saying that the interviewer was looking for someone to open and grow an agency for the long term, but the OP does not have 5-10 years working time to do that. But earlier OP mentions looking to work for 5-7 more years before calling it quits. Isn't that about the time range the interviewer was implying? Or was the job not what the OP wanted at all after getting more information?
Anyways, as I approach 50, I have not had issues getting a job, but as I mentioned before this is because I am always mindful of establishing contacts at every job I go to. I always work hard, don't sit around and ***** and moan, and this naturally creates great networks because people know I am no drama and just want to get the work done. Going back 22 years to when I had my first 'real' job to my current job (six jobs in total, all very physical jobs taking care of machinery), only one job I got on my own merits and not from a referral. Every other job was from a referral which got me the job.
I suppose I am fortunate in that I look younger than my age and it helps when I interview. I just had an interview and I'd say everyone who interviewed me except for the manager was at least 15-20 years younger than me. If you look, feel, and act old, then it won't help your cause. At my current job the only guy in my department older than me is my co-worker who is 62 but he is sharp and physically fit.
But I know reaching 50 is a whole new ball game. Age discrimination starts in early 30's in some industries, and I've weathered the storm so far. But once you hit your 50's and beyond, I'm sure it will be much harder for me to find a job if I need to find one in the future. I just pray my body holds up for another 10 years and then I will take my chances and live off savings until social security kicks in.
I don't want to INVEST MY $$$ into setting up an agency, build up my client base (takes quite a few years to build a business) only to hand it over to the next agent in a few years. 20 years ago I could have.....the timeline would have made more sense.
suburban Guy, are you in sales?
The “ageism” was on my end, btw. I know that my time in the workforce is shortening. I understand sales.......been doing it for years. There is a huge commitment and dollar investment in opening a business esp an insurance agency.
Fortunately I am gainfully employed...looking for other work options as I want to dial back on the travel, etc.
Last edited by STLgaltoo; 08-16-2018 at 04:05 AM..
Looking for work in my 50's was the most depressing thing I have ever done in my life. OP is lucky to be retiring in a few years. I have never encountered so much age discrimination in my life. I didn't realize how rampant it truly was.
I don't want to INVEST MY $$$ into setting up an agency, build up my client base (takes quite a few years to build a business) only to hand it over to the next agent in a few years. 20 years ago I could have.....the timeline would have made more sense.
suburban Guy, are you in sales?
The “ageism” was on my end, btw. I know that my time in the workforce is shortening. I understand sales.......been doing it for years. There is a huge commitment and dollar investment in opening a business esp an insurance agency.
Fortunately I am gainfully employed...looking for other work options as I want to dial back on the travel, etc.
So much to say as a previous insurance agency owner...that business is a "throw the S against the wall and see what sticks" model. They want you to take all the risk and of course profit off of any written business when you leave.
It's a very tough business. 80% of new agents fail because after you get done writing your friends and family, the REAL challenge starts which is finding a consistent source of new clients.
The insurance industry is decades behind the times when it comes to recruiting and nurturing producers.
BTW, every insurance recruiter and their Mother contacted me when I listed my resume on the job sites. When they saw that I have insurance experience, they thought they would see if I would take another risk on my dime.
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