Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Do not put that you retired and are now re-entering the workforce on your resume or in your cover letter. (Unless you are applying for a p/t bagger job at the local grocery or some other job that traditionally hires a lot of retirees.)
It seems like lately we've gotten a lot of resumes from people who retired and now want to go back to work. Some state that they became bored while others say they have financial problems. What's on the employers mind is that they really don't want to work in the case of the person with financial problems or will quickly realize that they retired for a reason the first time and really would rather be retired--in either case the employer suspects they won't have their heart in it and really won't be a good employee, or won't be a long term employee.
Additionally, there's nothing like flat out saying you are an older applicant, and in some companies that can really work against you. However some of these applicants have pointed out that they are in their 40's--not old by any means, so it's not always an age thing.
If you are retired but are considering returning to work, instead of saying you are retired, say that you took a sabbatical and traveled, wrote a novel, did volunteer work, whatever. But don't use the word "retired."
I think generally, especially with the anti-discrimination laws we have now, age shouldn't matter in applying for jobs, unless it is a specific within the job and person descriptions.
I would agree though that the wording of a resume can help.
In regards to anti-discrimination laws, people over 40 are a protected class, are retired people, given that retired people could be under 40?
Being "retired" is not a protected class, regardless of age. Being over a certain age is a protected class--which doesn't mean that they need to be hired over a younger person if the younger person is more qualified.
As an FYI, the person we hired for the last job we filled was 54, and the person we're the most interested in for the current opening we have is in their late 40's. This company definitely doesn't discriminate based on age. They do have reservationis about anyone who left the workforce to "retire" and is now trying to re-enter it, regardless of age. I think it's a legitimate concern.
Don't kid yourselves- AGE is definitely a factor. Employers cannot come right out and say it but they seem to all want younger applicants- under 40- because, psychologically, there is a misnomer that those people have more energy, can work harder & longer, are more eager to impress, and can be trained and molded. Over 40 seems to be the kiss of death (ESPECIALLY for women!!) - potential employers wonder why you may be looking for and/or changing jobs 'at your age'. We are supposed to be fully embedded in a stable career at this point in our lives, right? Unfortunately, there are many displaced and unemployed people my age through no fault of their own- from corporate downsizing, businesses closing, stores and banks going bankrupt, & the housing industry imploding. We network, we spend months filling out on-line applications, we stalk the coffeeshops, we go back to school or get retrained, and we carefully craft our resumes to suit each individual job applied for, we even move to cities and regions where we think the opportunities will be better. And yes, lots of retirees are coming out as well because those funds they counted on simply aren't there anymore. But a lot more people have simply not been in the workforce because we have not gotten a job yet to replace the last one. So we fill in that blank time with volunteer work, and fudge the dates as best we can.
But the fact remains we, over 40'ers, are competing to get back in the game with a wave of new, younger players. Everyone wants to appear younger to level the playing field- it's been great for the plastic surgery business! My resume has since been stripped of any reference to dates of graduation, and I only go back about 10 years of work history- plus you better make sure your picture on any of the social websites make you look fresh and vibrant! So much for proudly wearing the badge of experience- that saying of "40 is the new 30" came from someone in Hollywood, not the real world.
Bottom line is, if someone is so hell bent on discriminating, they will find a way to do it in a sly manner and not get busted. Illegal or not, I am 39. I don't look it. I am extremely fit, energetic. My graduation date says 1995. I have had few people on the phone and over Internet ask me my age. Of course I didn't answer that question. One female employer began to complain on the phone about "all my Generation Y employees are unreliable and I want to hire someone reliable." That was "why she wanted to know my age." Well, we don't know if that was the real reason or not! I didn't tell her and nicely steered away from the subject. Granted she was complaining soo much about GenY's that in the end, I didn't ask for an interview. She will be complaining about me behind my back and most likely will find someone or something to complain about every day. Total deal killer. Someone else emailed me that one question in the email after getting my resume. Surely, the graduation date is there, why do they need to ask? They can't do the math on their own? Of course, I didn't respond. In the end, you just have to move on to the next opportunity and get over their ignorance. It's pure ignorance. I'm not even 40 yet and people are already asking me and giving me weird looks? It's their problem, not mine. Moving on....next.....
Do not put that you retired and are now re-entering the workforce on your resume or in your cover letter. (Unless you are applying for a p/t bagger job at the local grocery or some other job that traditionally hires a lot of retirees.)
It seems like lately we've gotten a lot of resumes from people who retired and now want to go back to work. Some state that they became bored while others say they have financial problems. What's on the employers mind is that they really don't want to work in the case of the person with financial problems or will quickly realize that they retired for a reason the first time and really would rather be retired--in either case the employer suspects they won't have their heart in it and really won't be a good employee, or won't be a long term employee.
Additionally, there's nothing like flat out saying you are an older applicant, and in some companies that can really work against you. However some of these applicants have pointed out that they are in their 40's--not old by any means, so it's not always an age thing.
If you are retired but are considering returning to work, instead of saying you are retired, say that you took a sabbatical and traveled, wrote a novel, did volunteer work, whatever. But don't use the word "retired."
Why mention any of these things unless specifically asked?
Bottom line is, if someone is so hell bent on discriminating, they will find a way to do it in a sly manner and not get busted. Illegal or not, I am 39. I don't look it. I am extremely fit, energetic. My graduation date says 1995. I have had few people on the phone and over Internet ask me my age. Of course I didn't answer that question. One female employer began to complain on the phone about "all my Generation Y employees are unreliable and I want to hire someone reliable." That was "why she wanted to know my age." Well, we don't know if that was the real reason or not! I didn't tell her and nicely steered away from the subject. Granted she was complaining soo much about GenY's that in the end, I didn't ask for an interview. She will be complaining about me behind my back and most likely will find someone or something to complain about every day. Total deal killer. Someone else emailed me that one question in the email after getting my resume. Surely, the graduation date is there, why do they need to ask? They can't do the math on their own? Of course, I didn't respond. In the end, you just have to move on to the next opportunity and get over their ignorance. It's pure ignorance. I'm not even 40 yet and people are already asking me and giving me weird looks? It's their problem, not mine. Moving on....next.....
There are people out there in their 40s and over who maybe need to get a makeover to have a more updated business appearance. Maybe update some skills. I have slight gray in my hair, and I've had it since the early 30s. I'm not ashamed to say I dye the gray. But I am definitely not advocating plastic surgery to satisfy someone's age prejudices! I think that's very insecure and foolish. I can understand if one is in the entertainment business and needs to have surgery but the average person, IMO, shouldn't feel pressured to do it. As far as the people who discriminate against age, I have a particular view on them. The same people who today don't want to hire 50 year olds, are the same people who probably don't like immigrants, Hispanics, Asians, African Americans, or the gay. I want to look around their workplace and see how much diversity there is.Really now. They are biased. In fact, the next interview I have, which is next week, I will look around and see this for myself.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
