I cried when....

I cried when I read the post about ageism while looking for work in Vancouver. This is happening to me. I was professionally employed and educated. I got laid off at my last work place last year. I am still looking for work. I am in my early fifties and I always get that I am not the right fit. After reading the last post, these potential employers are saying that I am too old. I keep in shape and look young. I have never encountered this before. I used to hire people and I never said that they are too old. Now I am depressed while looking or work.

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2 suggestions...

May 30, 2016 at 12:00pm

1/ if you look much younger than you are, lie about your age. Tell them you're 41
OR
2/ with all those years of professional experience, start a company. Even something small and experimental

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I may be wrong...

May 30, 2016 at 12:01pm

But isn't it illegal for a potential employer to ask how old you are?

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Stupid employers

May 30, 2016 at 2:22pm

I have been asked if I am married and have kids.

Employers are stupid now. Even the HR people. No professionalism!

Totally agree.

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A bit off topic

May 30, 2016 at 4:24pm

but still about age. I'm 55 and I find that the men who are 55 looking for relationships online are often looking for a woman who is between 30 and 40. Where am I supposed to go?

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Well....

May 30, 2016 at 6:15pm

@A bit off topic - last time I did online dating, I was 51 and being hit on by guys who were 75 and looked like my Dad. I did not go there :P

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Ageism in hiring

May 30, 2016 at 7:00pm

I didn't mean to upset you when I addressed ageism in Vancouver hiring. I only wanted to state a truth that is hard to document and prove. Companies use this "overqualified" line to well-experienced people, and it rings hollow to me. Why WOULDN'T a company want a well-experienced person with multiple degrees, many years of experience, etc. to work for them? To me, I think having a well-educated, well-experienced and mature employee-base is ideal. But that may not be the ideal of some companies who want a younger set of people who may not complain as much, settle for lower wages, and generally be less demanding overall. Younger workers may stay later (because they don't have to rush home to pick up kids), not even know that they deserve a yearly bonus because they're more interested in partying with their friends every weekend, come by to the office on the weekends because they have less obligations, etc. Older workers are a little more savvy in knowing where to draw the line and what's expected of the employer.

Like I mentioned before, my Dad was let go when he was in his early 50s and he was never hired on permanently after that. He scrabbled together some short-term contracts to get by. Some didn't work out. He went years being unemployed, despite having so much education and experience under his belt. We kids faced the brunt of this: his depression, anger, feelings of shame and hopelessness. My mom had to carry the household on her own; it was a ton of pressure and exhaustion on her part to work, work, work, work to provide for us.

The effect on me is that I am very aware of ageism and never tell people my age at work. People have asked me directly, and I never respond, because it has nothing to do with my ability to do my job (which I do very well). My job may be considered a young person's game, which also contributes to me being quiet about my age. I'm fortunate that my employer values hard workers over the appearance of youth; we have many older and younger workers together.

I agree that fibbing and erasing few years off your age is one option when looking for a job. Keep up the hunt, OP; your energy and enthusiasm is what is going to get you hired. If you give off a "can-do" attitude, that is more than what most job applicants radiate. You're going to overcome this because you've got it in you.

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I wish ...off topic but

May 30, 2016 at 10:20pm

There was a dating app where you did not have to disclose your age. You don't disclose your race, why disclose your age? I'm a feminist and can't stand the double standard that a man is expected to date younger but women seem forced to date older, sometimes way older: so much for equality.

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@I wish

May 31, 2016 at 10:16am

I feel tempted to lie about my age on dating sites because I actually do look and feel at least 10 yrs younger than I am. (Female here). I was a late bloomer and married someone 7 yrs my junior which worked well for 20 yrs. I don't want to start off a new connection on a lie though so don't know what to do.
Apologies to the OP for off topic discussion, but it seems age affects all areas of life more than it should.

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Mitch

May 31, 2016 at 2:36pm

All I hear is complaints about all the young people and how unreliable they are....if you are fit and healthy maybe look in construction.

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