Donna Kopman, a 57-year-old sales operations manager, was laid off from her job in December. Since then, she's applied for 400 jobs and landed only two interviews. Although her previous salary was $110,000 a year, Kopman has applied for jobs with a $60,000 salary. Kopman told Business Insider she felt some employers were #ageist when assessing her application. "Ageism is everywhere in US work culture, but people don't seem to want to acknowledge it," she said. Since losing her job, Kopman has relied on #unemployment benefits and her savings to get by and pay for healthcare. She's concerned her employment gap will mean she has to delay her #retirement. "I won't qualify for full Social Security payments until I'm 67. That's 10 years I need to bridge, and if I wanted to retire earlier, I'd have to find a way to build my finances," she said. https://lnkd.in/g3_Sxr23
David Clark
1mo
I believe that I am a victim of ageism even now at age 31. Even though I have had management level positions in the past 8 years with a myriad of experience I’m competing with those who just graduated college and it’s easier for employers to hire someone fresh out of college. I have applied for hundreds of jobs and have only had a couple of interviews for jobs with salaries much lower than what I was making previously. I find it difficult to even get an interview for entry-level positions that only require a high school education even though I have a bachelors of science in business.
Jay Cadmus
1mo
Nobody cares about this. My former employer engaged in a systematic program to eliminate older workers by the 10s of thousands. Pro Publica verified this with an extensive investigation, and when I shared it with my two U.S. senators, they could barely stifle a yawn. https://features.propublica.org/ibm/ibm-age-discrimination-american-workers/
Dominik Halbherr
1mo
She should have - if skill permits - to reframe her years in sleeve-up people management roles as wide and stable foundation for a next logical chapter in strategic management. Apply for director roles, not shop floor roles- if the capacity is there why lapse back into "proven" roles if not for a self imposed and probably not rational "reason" ? Have some self confidence, Lady.
Lesa Renee Pence
1mo
I'll say it. Most DEI policies have a glaring hole in their coverage as they focus on color and gender while completely overlooking ageism. Age discrimination is alive and well in the job search, in the economy, in media representation, and in healthcare. The US is backwards when it comes to planning and caring for its senior population. Take one look at the diminished pensions and the pushback on the "official" age of retirement. Meanwhile, the cost of decent senior care facilities and retirement community living is reserved for the elite. Other countries (ex. Spain) actually care for and honor their senior population with excellent programs in place to ensure their well-being.
Tara McDonagh
1mo
My financial advisor told me to prepare for my income to decrease at 55 (possibly 50) - no matter where I work - due to ageism
Mark Dawkins
1mo
Ageism is rife, not only in the US but globally. I have heard of people reducing their CV/Resume of decades of experience to obtain an interview. DEI is a phenomenal initiative, however, when is age bias ever mentioned, discussed or called out? But when was the last time someone saw a DEI image with someone over 60?
John G.
1mo
It’s not that people hate old people. It’s just that they feel threatened by someone who is more experienced than they are. And there’s no getting around that. These days, everyone is on the edge and watching their back. If the economy was booming and companies were growing, and people felt like there was a lot of opportunity then they would be more open to hiring experienced people because they could see it as a means of personal growth by building a competent team. But most People today would rather hire a useless person that is not threatening than an experienced person who maybe threatening. Here’s my advice. Dumb yourself down and be very likable. If you don’t have these skills naturally, then give the shortest answers possible. Yes, or no if it is a yes or no question. Also, learn some new skills. It’s possible to learn a particular skill that they are looking for. They do hire skilled people when they need a particular skill. Skills and experience are two different things.
Jason Lockwood
1mo
I agree with some here who have talked about pivoting, but my agreement ends where it becomes a patronising 'there there' and a pat on the back. White elephant here: looking for meaningful work at any age can be soul crushing, but it's especially demoralising at the so-called latter end of one's career. Getting s***-canned in your late 50s is a massive bummer. Both my partner and I, 58 and 57, lost our jobs last year. We got healthy payouts, which certainly helped, but the process of finding new work has been a crazy ride. I enjoy what I'm doing now, but it pays far less. My partner has three jobs – you might say they're ALL side hustles – and he's okay. We'll continue pursuing opportunities if and when they arise. The silver lining is we moved to a smaller city where houses are much more affordable than in Sydney. Our mortgage repayments are well within our budget, insurance is cheaper, etc. Still, let's admit it sucks to be in such a position. I doubt you're seeking sympathy here, and you certainly don't need 20- and 30-somethings offering advice as if they're the children of frail elderly parents. We're all vital, capable, and dynamic AF, as the kids are saying today.
Felipe Primera
1mo
Donna - I feel for you and your situation. I recently retired but hope to find part-time work or remote work to supplement my income. I am learning programming to do just that. Luckily for me, education is “fun”. I hope to be able to get some contract work. I don’t expect to land a full time time job for exactly the reasons you’ve listed. I also want the flexibility to travel a bit. I don’t understand why anyone would feel threatened due to experience. I certainly don’t have the fire nor the desire to take another management position. I just want to earn a few extra bucks.
Organizational Development | Change Management | Workforce Planning | Coaching | Human Resources
1moLesa, the conversation is far more interesting than the article itself. There was a thread that inferred that ageism is somehow something new, or at least, a relatively recent phenomenon. Ageism in America (I can't speak for anywhere else) has been a part of our culture since well before anyone in this dialogue was born. That deeply-ingrained mindset is why it's so difficult to address or prove; it's another example of our inherent culture of "rugged individualism", that says everyone is on their own to make it in this world, and when they get too hard to deal with we'll just "set 'em outside at night" to quote an old National Lampoon skit. Then there's the thread about fresh grads being "young cannon fodder", which strikes me as implicitly ageist itself, just in reverse. There is plenty of data out there to suggest that new grads are facing their own set of market challenges, and at least some of that can be chalked up to the same reverse ageism.