Ageism - at last some good news

We continue to hear and see so many appalling stories concerning the active discrimination of old and mature workers which starts as early as the early 40's but there is some light at the end of the tunnel finally.

I am pleased to share a personal experience with you concerning a new role that I have. just been appointed.

Hands up as at 63 most people in the same bandwidth would appreciate how hard it is to get an interview little alone a new role, recruiters and hiring managers even if your age is not shown on your CV simply do the math and eliminate you based on your age.

In my case my age was a strong and defining positive, I asked the companies CEO ( who btw is only 40) if my age was a barrier and or issue to him and his consideration of me for the role.

To my delight he said to me " that this one was of the major factors in me spending time with you as our customers need to have confidence and trust with the person they are dealing with and this only comes with age and experience".

He went onto to say that my diverse experience over a number of years across a range of senior roles in leading global companies was a real bonus as it demonstrated my flexibility and need for continuous growth.

All to often our years of experience which was once highly valued is held against as I have been told many time by hiring managers " that the role I was applying for was below me and I had to much experience often greater than your line manager which will cause issues as you will know much more than they do"

Fascinating why would I apply for a role that I believed was below me and or why would I look down on the people I work with simply because I have more experience and in many cases knowledge , that makes no sense but it is a widely held belief in many Australian companies.

Despite the fact many companies have the company speak about no discrimination, discrimination and bias especially when it comes to age is very much alive and kicking.

So the upshot is I am excited to start my new role in a few weeks and I cannot wait to sink my teeth into this role and start to develop my team which btw will be made up of young and old alike as I would hate to been seen to discriminate against the young because they have no experience.

We new need more business leaders like my companies CEO, he is a man that values age, experience and knowledge and he knows he can put immediate trust in his team.

The other big winner here is don't be afraid to show your passion for what you do as a badge of honour as this is the icing on the cake when people spend time with you interviewing as technical skills are just part of the equation.

Its nice to be able a positive and very personal story with you, #ageism #matureworkers #age #employmentdiscrimination