Should you be worried about age discrimination?

In the twenty something years that I have worked in recruitment I’m pretty sure that almost every client I have worked with who’s above the age of 40 has asked the same question at some point: Do I need to make myself look younger on my CV? The fear that they are being skipped over for younger candidates is clearly a widespread concern among today’s job seekers, just as it has been for many years.

During these conversations I almost certainly encourage those with 30 or more years of work experience to edit their CV’s and to only include what’s most relevant on them. There was a recent article which caused me to wonder whether age discrimination is really as rampant as is made out.

There was one passage in particular that stood out:

The number of people aged 25-34 living with their parents jumped to 13.4% in 2010 from 12.7% in 2008 … whilst the poverty rate for adults age 25-34 living with their parents was 8.5%, but in that case they are considered part of a household. If their status was determined solely by their own income, 43% were below the poverty threshold for a single person.

The article also reported that those aged 25-34 suffered the highest unemployment rate of any age group in August 2010 whilst those aged 55 and over actually had the lowest rate of unemployment.

Please don’t misunderstand me; I’m not suggesting that age discrimination doesn’t exist, there have been enough law suits in recent years to show that it does, but if colouring your hair and buying a trendier interview suit will help you feel more confident during your job search, then go for it.

However, the reality is that with the current economic downturn affecting the UK & Europe, younger workers are facing a job market that’s just as tough as it is for older workers — and in many cases the younger ones have an even harder time finding roles because of their lack of experience. With more than 13% of the young worker population still living at home with their parents, it’s clear that even many with jobs are not making enough to find a house deposit and live independently.

These statistics show that the job market has been tough on everyone in the jobs market. If you would like to increase your odds for an interview and to the job offer stage then you need to ensure that your CV is tailored to each and every position that you apply for. For help in creating a strategy that overcomes the “age issue” on your CV, talk with one of our Directors at www.intersearchuk.com

An everyday tale of stress and how to manage it.

As the working world returns to some form of normality after the summer break it seems obvious that Stress is the hot topic of the month as I have received a number of emails offering me workshops on how to manage it for our employees, one to one counselling, legal advice and all sorts of other emails that received the delete button treatment. Whilst I have no qualifications in stress management, there were a couple that appealed to me, though they are far from new or original, and I offer them up to you:

A lecturer when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked; 'How heavy is this glass of water?'

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, 'The absolute weight doesn't matter.

It depends on how long you try to hold it.

If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.

If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.

If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.

In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.'

He continued, 'And that's the way it is with stress management’.

If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. '

'As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.'
'So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow.

Whatever burdens you're carrying now, Let them down for a moment if you can. So, my friend put down anything that may be a burden to you right now. Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while’.

And from another round robin email, here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:


* Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet, Just in case you have to eat them.

* Always wear stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be "Recalled" by their maker.

* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

* If you lend someone £20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to be kind to others.

* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

* Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

* When everything's coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.

* Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

* You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

* We could learn a lot from crayons... Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colours, but they all have to live in the same box.

*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

They all, in their own home spun philosophising way, offer a few gentle thoughts on the quality of life and how to perceive those problems. If you have any that you live by and would like to add, then drop me a line and I might just run a follow up to this in a week or so!

Is it all about the money?

Despite stories to the contrary, the recruitment world mirrors the real world!

We too have seasons that match the working world. The New Year, following a traditional quiet December has historically always been busy. There tends to be a hiatus over Easter followed by a spurt leading up to the summer break, which brings us to where we are now: September.

Economic concerns are still reflected in the market but we have successfully wrapped up a number of assignments and helped clients with the contract negotiations. In three of the four assignments the candidates have promptly been countered offered by their existing employer. Fortunately our consultants have addressed this issue with the candidates right back at their first meeting with them and discussed it again with them leading up to our clients offer; with the result that in each case they have declined the counter offer. In fact, one was counter offered three times. In many ways this is very satisfying as it shows that we really have found the right person.

Yes the candidates were offered uplifts on their original salaries but in each case the candidates were making the decision to move for career reasons. It’s not always purely about the money.

So what happens next? I take no credit for this piece but I did think that it gave a different perspective of the relevant issues:

• We are watching you. Suspicions confirmed. We want to make sure that you leave quietly. With dignity. No drama. You would be surprised at the stupid things people do when they leave a company.
• We are watching your internet traffic. Don’t even think about leaking something or sending out company information.
• We are thinking of letting you go early. Some HR people will tell you to stay home during your notice period. Don’t be offended. We’ll pay you. Enjoy the time off before you start your new job.
• If you’re really great, we might want to counter-offer you and tempt you to stay. Never accept this offer. Never. We will always wonder when you’re going to threaten to quit again (because we suspect it was just a fake threat) for more money.
• Co-workers and colleagues will bug you and ask for the real scoop. It’s not your job to expose the soft underbelly of an organisation. Stick to your story. You’re leaving for personal reasons.
• We will ask you to participate in an exit interview. This a pointless exercise. You have the right to say no. HR rarely does anything meaningful with the data. Managers assume sour grapes. Employees are too afraid to burn bridges. If you have any questions about your benefits, use this meeting to clarify your questions — and leave without burning a bridge.