Job Search Ageism: What You Need to Know

Job Search Agism

Ageism is a fact of life.

Let’s look at what ageism really is. According to Dictionary.com, the definition of ageism is as follows:

A tendency to regard older persons as debilitated, unworthy of attention, or unsuitable for employment.

I define employment ageism as being perceived as unable to do a job due to health, appearance, or skills.

Notice I said perceived as unable to do a job. Often, our perceptions are our realities.

Automobile Ageism

I just traded in my 2003 Honda Element DX, which I had owned for 13 years and 130,000 miles. My Honda experienced discrimination due to its age.

The dealer looked at three things to determine it’s value:

• Mechanics (health)
• Appearance
• Features (skills)

The mechanics were in pretty good shape. I maintained it well, but…it had the original clutch and brakes. I am easy on a car!

The appearance was okay, with a few exceptions. It had no dents or dings, but the front seat was worn out and the windshield was cracked. A rock chipped the windshield and I did not repair it quickly enough. Because of this, a crack formed quickly and went across the entire window. It did not affect my vision, so I left it. It was like that for years.

The salesman told me that the car showed it’s age. Yes, the car was 14 years old with 130,000 miles.

The car was not feature-rich. It was a base model with a 5-speed manual transmission. I had done nothing to upgrade the vehicle, like adding a stereo, seat covers, steering wheel cover or anything else.

The vehicle showed it’s age and it experienced ageism. I was offered less on the trade in because it was perceived as being old.

See where I am going with this?

Ageism in the 2nd Half of Life

When we reach the 2nd half of life, we may experience age discrimination or ageism. Ageism is the perception that we are old and not capable of doing the job. In some cases, the perception is that we may be too expensive.

Click here to read the rest of the post at FlexJobs.com

Marc Miller  

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