Owning and Rockin' IT...
What is "it", you ask? Nope, not Information Technology. ?? "It" is my age. Yup. This Christmas (yes, exactly on Christmas day), I'll be -- drum rolls please -- 57. Even typing that here gave me pause because a bit of fear crept in. I worry that this may one day work against me. Why? Because when it comes to the job market, especially in the tech industry, I feel like the 50+ age group just isn't as welcomed or sought after by many employers, as compared to folks in their 20's, 30's, or even 40's who typically land jobs much faster.
As a Recruiter/Sourcer, I cringe a little whenever I hear the words "culture fit". These words feel like code to hire someone only if it's a person you'd want to hang out with for a drink or meal after work and often times, we want to be with others with whom we have many things in common with. I don't necessarily wish to 'fit in', and frankly many of us in this age group don't always 'fit in' for the simple reason that the majority of high-tech companies are notoriously made up of 20 to 30-something year olds -- my kids' age group (no disrespect at all to this group; I really enjoy interacting with them!). I prefer to 'belong' as me!
This poster below summarizes what I'm trying to convey here...
After I read an article in the Wall Street Journal titled, "The Dangers of Hiring for Cultural Fit" -- I was thrilled to learn a phrase that truly resonates with me -- "culture add"! Yes, please add me!
There are days when I cannot believe that I'm even in my 50's. Anyone in this age category feel this way? Reality gets harsher when I've said the words that many of our grandparents have uttered -- "you know, back in the day..." or "remember back in the [Enter Decade here - 60's, 70's, 80's] when..." -- then I get the tilted-head-with-bewildered-look on their faces. Several of my younger colleagues have told me that they weren't even born yet. Oh my...??
I became intensely aware of 'ageism' (<-- a terrific article from Indeed blog) in my late 40's, as I went through several job interviews. When I landed each role, I noticed that my age group in these companies was a small percentage of their total workforce.
I WANT to work and also need to. But I also want to feel welcomed and valued, not viewed upon with concerned or curious look in their eyes that seem to question why I'm still working.
When I have been accepted into the team, I've also been asked why I'm not in a managerial role at this stage of my life - like being in your 50's is supposed to mean that one should be in management. Uumm, simple -- I don't want to be. Been there. Done that. I prefer to be in an individual contributor role at this stage of my life.
God forbid should we have another economic meltdown similar to the 2008-09 financial crisis. I read somewhere that quite a few of these folks, mostly in their 50's & 60's are, to this day, still unemployed and not accounted for in the US Dept. of Labor reports since many of them have actually stopped looking for work.
An interesting bit of data that I read on the U.S. Department of Labor blog said...
"By 2024, nearly 1 in 4 people in the labor force are projected to be age 55 or over."
..and it showed this graphic on the right that depicts what our labor force looked like in 1994 and what they project it will look like in 2024, a little over 4-years from now.
I feel lucky for having landed my role at Zillow Group in April 2018. I remember going through the interview process and meeting the interviewers that consisted of people in their 20's, 30's, 40's and [insert angelic song here ??] someone in her 50's! I was ecstatic. Once I started, I was also really pleased to find out that Zillow Group has an Affinity Group call "ZG Over 40".
To anyone reading this - if you can help make a change in employing more of the 50-plus year old folks, please consider doing the following:
- diversify your interview panel to include interviewers from this age group
- have related Affinity Groups that your employee base can join
- consider hiring from job search sites specifically targeting the 50+ age group
- ask for referrals from everyone including the specific related Affinity Group
- create inclusive job descriptions/posts
- most importantly, make "culture add" the new "culture fit"
Hiring folks in this age group shouldn't be tough to execute, especially after reading this article where Glassdoor claims that baby boomers will be the fastest-growing age category in the US and UK in 2020.
Funny enough -- and full confession -- I used to be that person who thought that someone in their mid-to-late-50's should already be retired and living that dreamy, island life somewhere on this planet. And here I am in that exact age group that my younger mind thought was 'ancient'. Geez... ??