Employment

[marty00000]

I'm new here so I may be talking about an old topic but here it is. I'm sick to death of applying for jobs in California and being turned down because of my age. There are enough people over 50 in California to do something about it. Please, let's discuss this.

 

[mathjak107]

The problem is that a lot of times what many think is age discrimination is just the fact the person may just not be desireable as an employee regardless of their age

 

[SeaBreeze]

Marty, what type of work have you been applying for? Is it skilled labor or on the job training? What are the reasons you get when they turn you down, do you have any physical limitations, etc.?

 

[win231]

Applicants over 50 are frequently refused employment because their insurers & Worker's Comp companies tell them not to hire older people because of higher premiums & the higher likelihood of injury.
As for "giving an applicant a reason for not hiring," they are not required to. They wouldn't tell the truth, anyway because they'd get in trouble for "age discrimination."

And, yeah...they're not allowed to ask you how old you are, but they don't have to. Anyone who has internet can find that out in one minute.

 

[applecruncher]

OP, I'm curious as to why you assume it's because of your age. Others could make the same assumption due to their race, gender, religion, etc. There are laws against discrimination. Have you been to the EEOC and filed a complaint?

There are only so many available jobs and massive numbers of applicants. There are also many jobs which older people DO get hired for. There are also organizations that help seniors find jobs

 

[retiredtraveler]

It's really difficult to 'discuss' because we don't know all the circumstances. There is out-and-out age discrimination. Having said that, there are also places who don't mind older adults, and some even prefer them. But Mathjak also brings out something and as someone who used to interview people (myself), I learned a number of things. Besides age discrimination, you can be rejected initially for a poorly written resume. I couldn't believe how many educated interviewees had such a poorly constructed, poorly written with spelling and grammar errors.
Next, if you get to an interview, you may not present yourself favorably. There is weight discrimination, poor dress, disabilities discrimination, poor appearance in general, poor interviewing technique. I've run into people (I was in IT) who clearly had job skills and could pass a tech test, but just didn't speak well or came to an interview without their hair combed or 'proper' appearance.
Then, of course, some people just don't actually match the skills that are needed. Many people have outdated skills.

No simple answer. We don't know if you are being rejected via resume, or are showing up to interviews and still not getting a job.

 

[retiredtraveler]

OP, I'm curious as to why you assume it's because of your age.....There are only so many available jobs and massive numbers of applicants. There are also many jobs which older people DO get hired for. There are also organizations that help seniors find jobs

There are far more jobs in America than there are applicants. What we have in this country is skills gap. There are endless jobs in the trades, but few people going into them. I have two relations, in the trades, each making 6-figures largely because there is so much work and so few people doing the work (it's tough). Our local small businesses have on-the-job training in factory work such as CNC and machine work. Few people go into this. Everyone wants a college degree, often resulting in massive debt, and so many of those degrees only open the door to a barista job. Right now, there are an estimated 50,000+ jobs for truck drivers alone, right now. Know any young adults who are going into this? The poster could go to truck driver school and probably start out at a minimum of $40,000 a year plus sign-on bonus plus bonus if staying a year. Just one example....

 

[applecruncher]

There are far more jobs in America than there are applicants. What we have in this country is skills gap. There are endless jobs in the trades, but few people going into them. I have two relations, in the trades, each making 6-figures largely because there is so much work and so few people doing the work (it's tough). Our local small businesses have on-the-job training in factory work such as CNC and machine work. Few people go into this. Everyone wants a college degree, often resulting in massive debt, and so many of those degrees only open the door to a barista job. Right now, there are an estimated 50,000+ jobs for truck drivers alone, right now. Know any young adults who are going into this? The poster could go to truck driver school and probably start out at a minimum of $40,000 a year plus sign-on bonus plus bonus if staying a year. Just one example....

There are many jobs that do not require a degree.

Cashier, fast food worker, data entry,/coding, custodian, housekeeper, plumber, groundskeeper, landscaper, butcher, baker, hair stylist, barber, window washer,
furniture repair, carpet cleaner - just to name a few.

There are also many situations where 20 people or more apply for 1 job. It's not like every employer is begging for applicants.

The topic in this thread is focusing on alleged age discrimination.
We don't yet know what type job(s) OP applied for.

 

[C'est Moi]

We also don't know if there was any "discrimination" at all. Perhaps the OP just didn't fit the qualifications or didn't interview well.

 

[mathjak107]

there are always what i will call best of breed employees ..those are the employees companies would never let go unless they were going out of business . if they did these best of breed employees get snatched up by employers before they are even out of work ...

then you have the 2nd tier wave ...those are the ones that are known in their industry by competitors and they bring something to the party that employers want ..

then there are the lower levels ...2008 saw great cleansing on these levels and many in this level are just not even employable by todays criteria ... drug tests , back ground checks , credit checks , etc all play a role ...

so many are weeded out right there and we have not even gotten to their ability to communicate , work skills and work ethics ...

to many it will always appear to be discrimination of a sort keeping them from working but the hard reality is they are just not desirable as an employee

 

[marty00000]

I can see that there are a number of people who want to see more information before weighing in so here it is.

I was a police officer for 12 years, then a security manager at a major hospital and healthcare network managing a security staff that operated 24/7 providing security for more than 1,000 employees, a private investigator, security consultant for 18 years with never a complaint against me. I am in excellent physical condition. I go to the gym twice each week and bench press 195 lbs. I have applied for more than 30 jobs, security management, loss prevention, investigations, alarm sales, and even a security guard. Only 3 responded and said they hired someone better qualified. I never even heard from the rest of them.

The point I'm trying to make here is that someone needs to make changes to the system. If we don't band together to change it there are going to be seniors who can no longer pay for medications and other living expenses.

 

[mathjak107]

I can see that there are a number of people who want to see more information before weighing in so here it is.

I was a police officer for 12 years, then a security manager at a major hospital and healthcare network managing a security staff that operated 24/7 providing security for more than 1,000 employees, a private investigator, security consultant for 18 years with never a complaint against me. I am in excellent physical condition. I go to the gym twice each week and bench press 195 lbs. I have applied for more than 30 jobs, security management, loss prevention, investigations, alarm sales, and even a security guard. Only 3 responded and said they hired someone better qualified. I never even heard from the rest of them.

The point I'm trying to make here is that someone needs to make changes to the system. If we don't band together to change it there are going to be seniors who can no longer pay for medications and other living expenses.

all i know is the company i retired from has people as old as 85 working ... i am retired and still get called in to teach newbees .... if you are known in my industry there is no age limit ... i was in the electrical wholesale business.

my friend is a retired lieutenant from nypd ... he got a great job running the security dept at bank of america in manhattan . he recently just stopped that too and now has two pensions .

 

[fmdog44]

I don't care what laws are on the boards in all states being out of work at 50 is bad pure and simple.

 

[StarSong]

I can see that there are a number of people who want to see more information before weighing in so here it is.

I was a police officer for 12 years, then a security manager at a major hospital and healthcare network managing a security staff that operated 24/7 providing security for more than 1,000 employees, a private investigator, security consultant for 18 years with never a complaint against me. I am in excellent physical condition. I go to the gym twice each week and bench press 195 lbs. I have applied for more than 30 jobs, security management, loss prevention, investigations, alarm sales, and even a security guard. Only 3 responded and said they hired someone better qualified. I never even heard from the rest of them.

The point I'm trying to make here is that someone needs to make changes to the system. If we don't band together to change it there are going to be seniors who can no longer pay for medications and other living expenses.

You may want to contact the jobs that you think you were best qualified for (or even over-qualified) and respectfully explain to the HR department that you're having difficulty getting traction with your job search despite years of experience, and ask if someone would kindly take a moment to explain why you weren't given an opportunity so that you could figure out how to be more successful in the future. Bear in mind that you're asking for a favor, not looking for them to defend why you weren't hired by them.

If you happen to have a friend who works in an HR department, have that person go over your resume. It may seem perfectly fine to you, but might not pass muster with someone whose profession is to review job applicants and resumes.

p.s. I don't think that it matters in which state you're looking for a job. California companies are not reputed to be more ageist or persnickety about hiring than employers in other states.