CRANDALL ASSOCIATES

July 24, 2006

By: Wendy Weber
Crandall Associates Inc.
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Is it me? Am I newly sensitive to this issue? I read yet another article this week in the NY Times about the difficulty of finding a new job after a certain age.

I am distressed to read so many articles about the difficulty of finding a job as one ages. Maybe my perspective has changed. I’m in my 40s and from my vantage point 55, or even 65, doesn’t look quite so old anymore.

I’ll be frank. A college-aged intern in my office saw the experience on an incoming candidate’s profile and said, “She must be 60 years old. Why would she bother looking for a new job?”

I choked on my coffee.

Even if this job seeker (who is gainfully employed with an industry leader) planned to retire at age 65, any company would be lucky to employ her for the next five years. But it has been my observation that many people are working beyond 65, especially dynamic, motivated employees that love what they do and are good at it.

I receive more and more resumes from job seekers of a certain age who have lopped off the first 10 or 20 years of their experience from their resumes to try to appear younger than they are. I don’t see the point.

First of all, it’s a rare individual who begins his career with a director title, so the omission results in confusion for prospective employers. Secondly, if the employer does have an age bias, it may be possible to lop 20 years off a resume, but it’s usually impossible to lop 20 years off one’s appearance. What will happen at a personal interview?

Expunging 20 years serves no purpose for the candidate or the employer. Those years were spent gaining experience and building a career. Those years have value to the employer. Why try to erase them?

I have come across some older job seekers who have had a tough time finding employment. Some bias does appear to exist in the agency world. Otherwise, I think direct marketers generally are judged on results and on a resume that indicates a stable career progression.

Other job seekers have only themselves to blame. They haven’t come to terms with the fact that gaps on their resume, or their lack of upward career progression, have become apparent. They blame their age on their inability to be taken seriously.

A candidate of ours found himself out of work at age 67. He told me that he was still full of passion for direct marketing and hoped to find a new position. He was concerned that his age would be held against him. I told him we would keep our eyes open for a new opportunity for him. But before we even had a chance to present him to one of our clients, he called to say he had received a terrific offer from a new employer. I asked whether the subject of age had come up. It had. But it didn’t matter a bit to his new boss, who is 82.

So employers, please take heed. With the direct marketing industry expanding, there will be increased competition for the top candidates. The time has come to take advantage of the aging workforce. As you evaluate new employees for your organization, settle for nothing less than the best. If that means eliminating a complacent 32 year old from consideration or “taking a chance” on a 67 year old who may give “only” five years to your firm, let the best candidate win.

And take it from me, however young you are now, one day you will be 67.