Re: Aging out was RE: job-hunt weirdness

Subject: Re: Aging out was RE: job-hunt weirdness
From: Suzette Leeming <suzette -dot- leeming -at- gmail -dot- com>
To: "Leonard C. Porrello" <Leonard -dot- Porrello -at- soleratec -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 9 Jul 2009 17:05:13 -0400

Um, I believe in Canada we call that "age discrimination", which is a
violation of our rights.

Some companies love bright, young graduates fresh out of university (they
work cheaper). Others like the young family type with responsibilities (less
likely to move on). Other companies realize the value that an older, more
experience worker can bring. No on-the-job training required - they hit the
ground running, they've learned from past mistakes, and they bring maturity,
wisdom, and experience to the job. In this environment, with so many people
out of work, the experienced worked is a valued worker.

Many companies have been started by "older" employees who have been forced
into retirement. Tell your mother to either start a techwriting agency
(something that also does well in a recession) or start a whole new career.
She's entering the best stage of her life!

How old is too old? If the eyes can no longer see, the ears can no longer
hear, the fingers can no longer type, or if Alzheimer's has set it, then
that is too old. Otherwise, age should be considered a benefit, not a
deterrent.

Suzette Leeming



On Thu, Jul 9, 2009 at 4:57 PM, Leonard C. Porrello <
Leonard -dot- Porrello -at- soleratec -dot- com> wrote:

> What do people think about how old it is too old? Is it 40, 50, 60?
>
> Leonard
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwr-l-bounces+leonard -dot- porrello=soleratec -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+leonard.porrello<techwr-l-bounces%2Bleonard.porrello>
> =soleratec -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- c
> om] On Behalf Of Sarah Stegall
> Sent: Thursday, July 09, 2009 1:51 PM
> To: TECHWR-L Writing
> Subject: Aging out was RE: job-hunt weirdness
>
> Dunno about Canada, but about the worst thing you can do in Northern
> California is brag about (or even mention) being "long-in-the-tooth".
> Kiss of death out here.
>
> I watched my highly competent, smart, professional mother, with years of
> experience and business savvy, get involuntarily "retired" from
> technical writing for the sin of being older than the people she was
> interviewing with for a job. The last job she had, she was actually told
> by her manager that if he'd known her age he would never have considered
> her for the job. She did all the usual--wrote her resume to eliminate
> about ten years of experience, concealed the date of her graduation
> (even dropped a degree), dyed her hair, dressed younger. None of it
> worked. After she got laid off, she never again got past an initial
> interview.
>
> I figure I'm in my last or next to last job as an employee; if and when
> I leave this one, I have at best a 50/50 chance of being hired full time
> somewhere because I am too old. I'm keeping my freelance skills up, and
> hoping my husband keeps his job so that his benefits can cover us.
>
>
>
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Follow-Ups:

References:
Re: job-hunt weirdness: From: Erik Hare
RE: job-hunt weirdness: From: Dana Worley
Re: job-hunt weirdness: From: Peter Neilson
Re: job-hunt weirdness: From: Dana Worley
RE: job-hunt weirdness: From: McLauchlan, Kevin
Aging out was RE: job-hunt weirdness: From: Sarah Stegall
RE: Aging out was RE: job-hunt weirdness: From: Leonard C. Porrello

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