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I communicated last week with a professional free lance recruiter I met at a job hunting support group, who told me some interesting things. (She was the speaker)
She told me, off the record, unless someone is in a career field with a huge shortage of qualified workers, or is looking for a senior executive position, or knows the right person, it is nearly impossible to find a well paying professional position, using traditional job search methods, after age 50.
She said, "look at the help wanted ads in the newspaper or online. 95% of the ask for 3-5 years of experience, or at most 5-7 years of experience." MOST jobs can be done quite well by someone with a degree and 5-7 years of experience. Why would an employer want someone with 25 years of experience who is tired and bored with the corporate world, thinking about retirement and has had a history of merit increases? There are plenty of candidates in their 30s who are mature, experienced and educated who will work with enthusiasm, are still full of energy and don't come with high salary expectations.
YES! There are some people who can beat the odds and get a corporate but non senior management job after age fifty after applying via Monster.com, but this is extremely rare and usually due to be in the right place at the right time.
Yes, this seems so logical but is so depressing at the same time.
It is depressing. I'm 33 and this scares me. I feel that by the time I'm 40, this will be true not only for those over 50, but those over 40 as well. I think the only way around this is to get those skills/certifications/designations etc. and/or make yourself indispensable to a company. You have to keep moving up, or transition to career fields that can integrate your "old" experience with new skills that are in demand. I don't think one can sit back and relax in their cushy mid-level corporate job and think that they will be there until 65. It's even scarier that they keep wanting to push the retirement age back. I just don't see this as an issue because I think anyone will be hard pressed to find someone working at 67 (unless they are skilled or executive level) in 10-20 years!
Honestly, are you ok reporting to someone who makes 1.5x-2x your salary, but only has 1/3 the experience you do? Let alone the fact that they're a little over half your age.
Most positions open up because people get promoted. Manager becomes a Director, so one of the Associates becomes a Manager. They need to hire a new person to replace that low level position. Most people with 25 years experience expect to be paid based on their experience.
Except typically, the job doesn't require that level of experience. So the person with too much experience doesn't get hired.
I think there is some truth to this, but there is also the situation where employers only want people with years and years of experience. There are good arguments for both views.
If there is anyway you can market your skills as an independent consultant then do it. I've been independent with my own company since I was 36. I'm over 60 now and I've had not trouble getting "gigs" in the industry I specialize in. When it comes to hiring a consultant, most companies are fine with the over 50 set. If you can't go it alone, are there any other people you know you could partner with? A former boss of mine set up a company that specializes in older workers with lots of experience. (1099 Partners - Our Network, Their Experience, Your Success).
For those under 50 (and 40), think in terms of building your skillset so you can market yourself independently. Build your network now. Connect with others on LinkedIn now so that later when you start building your business, you'll have a network. Once you do good work at one place, you'll find people change jobs and will bring you with them. The real plus side of this is people that I knew and helped when they were not even first level line managers are now directors and can make hiring decisions.
I think that is the case regardless of age though it might be harder with more and more years though.
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