"Sorry, but your age": Why is it so hard to find a job after 45 years
52-year-old Nina Afanasyev has not worked since January 2016: last December, she was forced to leave the Ballet Moscow Theater, where she was an administrator and assistant manager of the theater troupe for about three years. "Now I tried to find a similar job through Facebook, because the field of art, theater is close to my heart and my soul; I can do it, I understand it, I can do it. All winter I sent a huge amount of resumes through job search sites, but almost there were failures everywhere, and the main motive is age. I was told in another place that the reason was a little work experience, although this is not true in general, ”says Nina.“ Many openly say that they do not consider it necessary to meet: “Sorry but your age is ... "". She says that now she is being treated with depression for medication: "It is difficult emotionally and mentally, because life is lost, which was all at work, and at that age, in general, nothing but work remains. Grandchildren were not born, children grew up, and at work it turns out that nobody needs you. "
At that time I was around 53-54 years old, and I was told the following: “We respect old people very much, but we won’t take you to work”
Ivan Mikhailov, 57 years old
Since 2013 in Russia it is forbidden to indicate the desired age of applicants in vacancies, but this does not mean that it is not at all taken into account. “According to the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, age-based discrimination is prohibited, but each employer has its own internal strap. This is one of the main difficulties. The leader is unlikely to take an adult candidate to the team of 20-25-year-olds, for example,” says Xenia Avdey, head company "Dialogue", providing freelance HR services and career counseling.
"The age limit exists, - 57-year-old Ivan Mikhailov agrees (Name changed at the request of the hero. - Approx. Ed.), a specialist in woodworking and furniture production, who has worked in construction for many years. - When I was looking for a job, I called the company, where a person from my specialty was needed, with my experience - this job was even simpler than my knowledge and experience allowed. At that time I was around 53-54 years old, and I was told literally the following: “We respect old people very much, but we won’t take you to work”. "
Despite the fact that employers are often not ready to offer work to candidates over 45, talk about the inevitable increase in the retirement age is heard more and more often. For the time being, the Russian government does not plan to raise the retirement age - although the discussion on this topic does not stop. And this prospect is becoming more and more real: in May, Vladimir Putin signed a law implying a gradual increase in the retirement age of civil servants. However, many Russians do not stop working with the onset of the retirement age.
Younger employees job quit even less willingly. Irina Lyubakova, who had been a leading economist for several years before being fired, says that she would like to continue working for another five years. "At 47 years old, she began to look for a new job, the search is connected with a change of residence. It is difficult. And so far it is unsuccessful," says Irina. "Even though I do not have a higher education, I hoped that my experience would be interesting. For a year of search, it passed quite a few interviews - both in person and by phone. And you know, I wanted to return to work only in a couple of places.
Probably, I am too demanding in the search, but I am looking for a permanent, beloved, interesting job, so I take it responsibly. It has been several times: I come out after the interview, I think, well, everything seems to have found its place - and I liked it, and I have no questions, I come up. But ... without feedback. I do not know the reasons. But according to consistently established opinions of others, the lack of higher education (anyone) and my old age carry my candidacy to the very tail of the list. By the way, during my search, only once they called me to say that, unfortunately, the choice was made in favor of another candidate, and, as it turned out by chance, I was not taken to that company solely because of my age. "
Age Discrimination is not only a Russian problem. For example, in the UK, companies do not have the right to refuse candidates because of their age, but prejudices remain. At the same time, employers do not always act consciously: a manager, for example, may refuse a candidate for fear of competition with a more experienced employee, and HR specialists may subconsciously give preference to their peers. According to a survey from last year, older workers in the US receive fewer job offers, are looking for a new job for several weeks longer than younger employees, and more often cannot find a new place after being fired.
Experts note that in Russia the situation for workers over 45 years old has gradually improved in recent years. “If ten or fifteen years ago, people older than forty could not find work, now people in demand are fifty years and older,” says Maria Savina, a former head of the personnel department and the Federal Property Management Agency, who recently changed jobs. “Why? Because employers they also grow up compared to the 1990s. Previously, they were very young and took elder people to work with great difficulty. Now they themselves are mostly older and understand that an older worker also has great value. " The 1990s demographic gap also changes the situation: the stratum of young specialists is declining and employers are forced to pay attention to other categories of workers - including older people.
Grandchildren were not born, children grew up, and at work it turns out that nobody needs you
Nina Afanasyev, 52 years old
Why is it so difficult for older people to look for work? Many stereotypes are associated with employees over 45 years old: for example, employers very often believe that senior employees may have poor health. Maria Savina does not agree with this position: "The idea that aged people often get sick and cannot work is wrong: a young man can also get sick." In addition, employers often believe that older employees have a poor command of technology and master new technologies more slowly than young employees - but this is not always the case, and each situation is different.
It is generally accepted that workers aged are less flexible than young ones, and, unlike those who are just starting their career path, are not ready to recycle on pure enthusiasm in the name of the company. It is believed that by the age of 30–35 a person should already be a professional, so employers often think that it’s unprofitable for them to hire an older employee: it’s impossible to complete the training for themselves and it will be harder for them to manage if their opinion does not coincide with head.
Another problem characteristic of Russia is that in many areas the career of workers develops vertically, and horizontal development is often limited. It is believed that the employee should reach the peak of his career by the age of 35-40, and how the career will develop in the previous pensions of 15-20 years is completely ignored.
“Older workers have another problem: they often do not agree to less qualified work,” says Maria Savina. “For them, for example, unlike young people, the job title is important, they need status, they grew up in a completely different world, and it can be hard for them to change. "
The ability to adapt to the changing circumstances and the new situation in the labor market is an important feature, which is not enough for many employees in the age. "There are unique experiences and professions in the labor market that are snapping up at that age. But every year many professions die: workers are replaced by technology, or younger and faster-trained employees take their place," says Ksenia Avdey.
The aged employees are also the most vulnerable group: any crisis hits them first. That is exactly what happened to Ivan Mikhailov: the difficult economic situation has greatly affected the construction industry in which he worked. “These were the remnants of the crisis of 2008, 2012, when the construction industry began to shrink,” says Ivan. “I worked for ten years, one might say, not by profession (I am a process engineer specializing in woodworking technology): I went to work in construction It turned out that I was a little behind my old specialty - woodworking and furniture production. I worked for a long time as a commercial director, worked in plastic windows and became not exactly a builder, I didn’t work in quite a specialty - for imalsya sales ten years -. it's a lot from a professional point of view, I have lost some skills and new knowledge that I have gained, became less popular in the market At the same time in all industries declined rapidly. ".
Vyacheslav Kovalev, a 60-year-old sewing engineer, tells exactly the same reason; during his career he was deputy chief engineer of a garment factory, director of a garment factory and director of production. Since 2001, he was involved in starting from scratch sewing factories for the production of men's suits and worked on a rotational basis: on Monday he left for work in another city, and on Friday he returned home for the weekend.
Difficulties in finding work began in 2008–2009, with the onset of the crisis. Vyacheslav says that he was denied several times because of his age: “It wasn’t said, but it was understandable. After that, I didn’t find a job not because of a resume, which I posted on special sites, but thanks to an extensive circle of friends.” Now Vyacheslav is not working. “In Moscow, there are almost no sewing factories, but I have production specialization. At the same time, I own a computer: I can fully carry out calculations on it, I worked in AutoCAD. That is, I am advanced in this regard. But heychary does not know this, they do not understand “Some questions,” says Vyacheslav. “I’ve been on a well-deserved retirement since January. I could work: for example, there was an offer to go to Kozelsk again. But I don’t want to go, I decided that I would take a rest. looking for a job, but if there is a proposal, it would work - but in Moscow. And in Moscow it is really difficult to find a job - for me, at least, for my level and for my age. "
According to consistently established opinions, the lack of higher education and my old age carry my candidacy to the very tail of the list
Irina Lyubakova, 48 years old
How to act people over 45 years who are looking for a job? Experts advise them to constantly maintain business contacts and contacts and look for work primarily through acquaintances - especially those who know them from work. Finding work online for them may be less effective: HR specialists may not even look at a person’s resume when they see his age.
Employees of the older generation also have indisputable advantages - first of all, rich experience, about which candidates should first of all be told to the employer. Experience is of great importance for many positions, including management. “The generation of 40-50-year-olds, to whom I belong, does not know how to“ sell ”. This is the main thing that they should learn and that young people are good at. They should learn to present themselves, their virtues and tell about them in the resume and personal communication, "says Maria Savina. She also advises employees to regularly upgrade their skills and gain new knowledge in order to be in demand at any age.
Often older workers already have all the characteristics necessary for a successful job search - they only need to learn how to act so that the employer pays attention to it.
“A certain number of jobs are being formed that adults can take: they can have their advantages in terms of responsibility, stability, and a desire to perform routine work,” says Ksenia Avdei. “We need to organize the process two-way: reduce the employer and such candidates. It is also necessary to tell candidates about the possibility of retraining for specialties that will actually be quoted, and not to get another crust. "
Ksenia Avdey advises candidates over 45 years of age to first understand what is happening in the labor market in their specialty and how the job search process has changed, as well as to gain strength and patience: the search for work can take a long time. “They need to accept the fact that they may have to“ fall ”in office and money (but it happens and vice versa, it all depends on the candidate’s general summary),” says Xenia. “It’s especially important to find information about areas that people never I came across it, but I would have done it well. I could also think about a completely different profile and not be afraid of it. Create resumes for different vacancies that are of interest to the candidate, study information about the effective passing of interviews (perhaps, work out with someone), write water letter to make it interesting despite age. " In addition, she advises to intensify all dating and communication to find a new place.
And yet the responsibility lies with those who form the proposal. Serious changes will not come until employers get rid of prejudices and do not understand that rejecting a candidate because of age is an ordinary ageism, which inhibits not only the development of the company and society, but also is capable of hitting everyone. Changing the situation on the labor market is completely within our power - otherwise both we and today's employers are at risk of themselves becoming its hostages in the future.
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