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