St.Louis Business Journal
YOUNG WORKERS ENCOUNTER AGE DISCRIMINATION, TOO

By Anna Navarro

March 2006  

Author's note: Client stories in this column are based on actual situations fictionalized to protect privacy and told with permission.

People in their 20's and 30's who are highly qualified and ambitious sometimes face age discrimination that is every bit as difficult to overcome as that encountered by people over 50. Some employers may assume that because they are young and members of generation X or Y, they lack the know-how and work ethic to be considered for important positions.

Peter was a 26-year-old human resources professional who had worked for the same company since graduating. He had been promoted twice and excelled in managing a small staff and accomplishing tough goals. But his boss was the VP of Human Resources and there was no room for Peter to move up.

He was intrigued by dealing with cross-cultural issues and dreamt of managing employee communications for a large multinational. But those jobs were generally held by people in their 40's or older. When we met I encouraged him to pursue his dream despite his age and told him the best way to approach the potential discrimination problem was head on.

One of his major accomplishments was a communications program to help integrate employees of 15 acquired companies. His company had grown dramatically over the last few years by buying smaller companies across the country. He designed and implemented a program of town hall meetings, video conferencing, web communications and e-mail interactions between top management and employees that helped everyone better understand and adapt to the evolving corporate culture.

I advised him to insert brief details in describing this accomplishment in his resume that demonstrated his maturity and work ethic: how he stayed late, worked weekends and met difficult deadlines to create and roll out the program.

I also urged Peter to emphasize networking in his search. He did respond to interesting ads and listings, but the risk with that approach was that employers could quickly figure out how old he was from his paperwork and might be tempted to eliminate him without an interview because of his age. Networking, however, would provide an opportunity to meet people in his field and persuade them of his seriousness of purpose.

I suggested that during these networking meetings he initiate a discussion about his age. The discussion went something like this: "I know I am probably younger than most people in the type of position I am seeking and I'd like your honest feedback about whether I am missing anything to do this job well". He would follow with a brief description of his accomplishments, skills and work ethic. Then he asked for their honest feedback about his suitability as a candidate and an unvarnished opinion of how he came across. Reactions were invariably positive.

These meetings got the issue of his age out on the table, and yielded insights about how to position himself for maximum advantage. They also made it possible to develop relationships with people in the field, many of whom kept a lookout for openings for him.

When he asked people if they would serve as a reference, he took time to explain the type of job he was seeking and why he thought he was qualified for it. He also said he was concerned he might be eliminated because of his age and asked for advice about how to deal with the problem. This got his references thinking about how to help him with the issue.

It took over a year of very hard work for Peter to find the job he wanted. He joined a Fortune 50 company on the opposite coast, and was the youngest manager in their very large Human Resources group, in charge of employee communications worldwide.

Along the way there were several instances where he felt he had been unfairly disqualified because of age. I empathized with his anger but I urged him to move on and not waste time on those employers.

The challange for all of us, regardless of our age, is to get a fair opportunity to do what we do well and be compensated equitably for it. In a perfect world, Peter would not have had to go to such lengths to deal with potential concerns about his age. But though discrimination based on age, sex, race or any other variable is indefensible and illegal, it is a fact of life. And if we fall into a group that is discriminated against, we need to know how to deal with it effectively.

Anna Navarro is the founder of Work Transitions, a nationwide career consulting firm that trains independent career strategists and consults with individual clients.

This column was originally published by the St. Louis Business Journal. The actual title of the column and date in which it appeared in the Business Journal may be slightly different from what appears on WorkTransitions.com.