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As a retired person who wants to go back to full time work, I have been doing lots of thinking about age discrimination in hiring. In the last few months I have been a finalist for a few jobs but at age 62 I am facing serious age discrimination. Yes, I know of stories where some people older than me have been hired over a younger candidate but it is rare.
I suspect that many hiring managers feel that once you are over 55 you are tired, just putting in your time at work. You have not kept in touch with the latest procedures and technology and lack the ability to work the 10-12 hours a day many corporations require out of their full time professional worker. Employers think once someone is over 55-60 you are not on top of your game any more.
Now that you are retired, look back at the last five years that you were working. Were you on top of your game then professionally? Were you full of energy and up on the latest in your field? Great with technology and able to put in the long hours? Now that you are retired and can look back on the work you and your older coworkers did, can you understand age discrimination, or do you outright reject it?
Now that you are retired, look back at the last five years that you were working. Were you on top of your game then professionally? Were you full of energy and up on the latest in your field? Great with technology and able to put in the long hours? Now that you are retired and can look back on the work you and your older coworkers did, can you understand age discrimination, or do you outright reject it?
For four of my last five working years, yes. I was on top of my game, full of energy, able to work long days when necessary and as good as I needed to be with technology plus some. My last year not so much because after 45 years, total, of work (some different employers) I finally was tired.
Looking back is not something I usually indulge in. Why! I've been retired for going-on six years. The past is just that.
As far as age discrimination goes, yes, I can understand it and there was likely a small element of it in the end. However, I was reasonably well-insulated and protected from it and my knowledge and experience were still valued and called upon. In my career field - politics and legislation - name recognition, reputation and access were absolutely essential and take years to earn/acquire.
Regarding age discrimination in hiring, it's largely driven by money. Companies prefer to hire younger people who expect less by way of salary and benefits. It was brought all the way to the Supreme Court (I believe), and they ruled that companies had the right to "maximize their profits" which superseded the duty to avoid age discrimination.
Luckily I am in a field where all the practitioners at my level are older guys. At my level 74.4% are over the age of 60 and with 85.1% over the age of 50 so age discrimination doesn't exist unless you want to hire the guy 63 years old in favor of the guy 71. 12.8% at my level are over 70 so I suppose someone could be discriminated against if he was 75.
I recognize how fortunate I am. I plan to work full time until at least 70 followed by part time beyond and the idea of having trouble finding a job doesn't register with me. I am 66 and if I wanted another full time job I know I could find one.
To the OP, from a hiring standpoint, you would be seen as a short-timer and not a good investment, unless it's for a short-term project. Your work experience could be invaluable for short term projects, so perhaps that's the kind of employment you should be looking for. I believe there's an employment forum on C-D that might be a better place for you to pose your questions. However, for what it's worth, when I was in a position to hire people, I always looked for candidates who ideally could give the company a good 10 years of service before they left for other opportunities. So you're probably facing that kind of thinking as you apply for jobs. It's not age-discrimination if there are younger, equally qualified candidates for the jobs you're seeking.
And to answer your initial question, I was at the top of my game when I retired and was asked to stay but I was ready for new adventures. No regrets here.
Money and power wise I was on the top of my game earlier then later in my career. I was in high tech and after age 50 or so you were considered a dinosaur. Unless the owner/major stock holder/guru, etc. it was time to move on down the road.
Yes ... and No. I was just as capable as always, but, had lost interest. I was also heavily involved in ministry (beyond my 'day job') and found that more satisfying and rewarding.
Re: Age Discrimination issue: While hiring younger people is often referred to as 'age discrimination,' it is often simply good business -- or at least more practical and cost effective than hiring folks in their 60's. I don't believe that all 60-plus folks are alike, but, in general, a few of many legitimate issues include: shorter longevity, lower future potential, training costs, health issues, younger management perceptions and attitudes, 'stuck in the old ways' mindset, technology resistance, stamina, greater potential for age discrimination charges .... etc.
The majority of folks considering retirement, who believe they will simply "go back to work if they need to," are likely to meet a lot more resistance than they expect.
not for the last 2 years. Downsizing eliminated my "team" & a position was held for me where someone had retired earlier (being filled by a temp). Much less was expected from new position and I did nothing to take on responsibilities I was accustomed to. That was hard, not doing projects I was used to (and probably why the job was saved for me); but excellent to retired from.
You have not kept in touch with the latest procedures and technology and lack the ability to work the 10-12 hours a day many corporations require out of their full time professional worker. Employers think once someone is over 55-60 you are not on top of your game any more.
Now that you are retired, look back at the last five years that you were working. Were you on top of your game then professionally? Were you full of energy and up on the latest in your field? Great with technology and able to put in the long hours? Now that you are retired and can look back on the work you and your older coworkers did, can you understand age discrimination, or do you outright reject it?
I'm still working for a couple of more years but can definitely relate to the above. I was probably "on top of my game" about five years ago but am now winding down my career. Those two week assessments out in the field that involve 12 hour days (including the weekend) and travel are just too much for me although I will volunteer for a one week assessment and sometimes put in 10-12 hour days while not on travel. My supervisor, the first one that is younger than me, would like for us to learn new computer codes and become proficient at running them. Most of her group is in their 50's and are not interested or it is beyond our expertise. And it is more of a marketing ploy for her to be able to advertise our group's services but we would not really utilize these skills frequently enough to maintain them so why bother. Also employee raises and bonuses have been meager the last few years although my supervisor's salary has increased significantly.
I think my supervisor is a little disappointed that we are so set in our ways and would like to hire younger people with more computer skills who are willing to be on the road nonstop. On the other hand, we have lots of experience, are highly qualified in our functional areas, and most are productive (there are a couple of retired in placers). Hiring new people would require that they go through a long qualification process and it would take a few years for them to come up to speed. And the federal government is downsizing so if someone retires, we may lose their slot. I am fortunate that age discrimination is virtually nonexistent in my agency. My 61 year old brother just got laid off from his job. Most of his group had already been run off and replaced with younger accountants who have MBAs and CPAs. His new manager was a young fellow who was promoted from staff to senior manager, bypassing the mid management level, and had no experience in their area off accounting.
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