Market Tough for Older Workers Post-Layoff

Job Seekers Take Creative Tacks to Avoid Age Discrimination

(AP)  Like many unemployed older workers, 64-year old Allan Kellum fears his age has made it harder to find a new job. At a recent job fair, Kellum expressed interest in a supervisory role coordinating an international health assistance program. A recruiter set him straight: "The people applying for that are young."

So now Kellum, who lives in McLean, Va., takes no chances. He's deleted his college graduation date from his resume and reduced the number of years it covers. He's hoping that will help move his resume past any screeners who would be put off by his age.

Kellum, who's been out of work since January, may be right to be concerned. Despite their years of experience, out-of-work older people are finding it harder than other adults to find new jobs. And attempts to appear younger on resumes and in person - some are even taking Botox injections - may be no match for the squeeze this recession is putting on employers.

Older workers have always found it harder than others to land a new job after a layoff. In part, that's because many employers assume they're more expensive or won't stay long in jobs that pay less than they've earned previously.

But this job market has been especially frustrating for them. The Labor Department said Thursday that as of June, unemployed workers 55 or older were jobless an average of nearly 30 weeks, compared with about 21 weeks for those under 55. That gap has widened during the recession: In 2006, it averaged only six weeks.

And the jobless rate for those 55 and older rose to 7 percent in June, the highest for that age group on records dating to 1948.

"This recession seems to be a little bit different" because of the "unusually large increase" in unemployment among older workers, said Richard Johnson, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute and expert on retirement issues.

Now, many older workers are taking steps similar to Kellum's, to try to minimize any role their age might play in hiring decisions. Resume-tinkering is among the most common strategies.

But some go much further.

Dozens of people showed up at a spa in Arlington, Va., in June after it promised free Botox for up to 50 unemployed people. Customers had to display a termination letter or unemployment check to receive treatment.

Mari Negron, 49, a struggling real estate agent in Arlington, Va., looking for new work, said she thinks the treatment will help her job search.

"I look refreshed," she said, now that a worry line between her eyebrows is gone.

To avoid appearing out of touch, others are using their time between jobs to become familiar with the latest technologies and social networking sites. Sharon Armstrong, a career consultant in Washington, D.C., urged one client fearful of seeming too old to discuss her use of Twitter and Facebook during job interviews.

And she endorses the idea of keeping certain dates off resumes.

"I don't think anyone needs to know when you graduated from college," she said. "Don't give people reasons to discriminate against you."

Once at the interview stage, Armstrong urges clients to prepare for questions like, "Aren't you overqualified?" Older job seekers say they hear that frequently. Armstrong suggests they show enthusiasm for the job and make sure not to seem to be applying out of desperation. AARP also urges older job hunters to stress their skills and achievements - not their years of experience.

Experts say some employers may be reluctant to hire people they assume are less flexible, more expensive or less agile with technology. Or they fear these workers wouldn't stay long in jobs that pay less than what they earned before, said Deborah Russell, director of workforce issues at AARP.

Such concerns "suggest age discrimination might be playing a role," said Johnson, the Urban Institute fellow. "There is certainly evidence that suggests that employers are reluctant to hire older workers."

Complaints of age bias to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission jumped 29 percent to 24,852 in the year that ended in September, the most recent 12-month period for which figures are available. That's the highest such total on records dating back 16 years. The number of such complaints has continued at a high pace this year, the EEOC said.

Tina Lurie, 49, a Washington, D.C.-based broadcasting technician who was laid off in January, doesn't respond to job listings that note, "Great for recent college graduate," even if the job sounds like a good fit. Those employers, Lurie said, are unlikely to value her 25 years' experience.

Companies are now more likely to make permanent job cuts than in previous recessions, economists say. Industries from autos to financial services won't soon return to their pre-recession employment levels. That shift hurts older workers more, because skills and experience they amassed over many years in one industry are often not relevant to another.

What's more, the severity of the recession has kept more older Americans working past the age when they hoped to retire - or pulled them back into the labor force after they had left. Their 401(k)s have lost years of accumulated savings. Their home equity has shrunk. So older people are now more likely to want to keep working, even after a layoff.

During the 1981-82 recession, older workers were more likely to have pensions that enabled them to take early retirement if they were laid off, Johnson said.

Rapid changes in workplace technology may be another factor, Johnson said. Some employers fear older workers can't keep pace.

Gregg Cygan, a 60-year old graphics consultant based near Chicago, has decades of experience with technology and was a charter member of AOL's e-mail service. Yet he said some people consider his AOL.com e-mail address out of step.

"They only think you're hip if you have a Gmail account," Cygan said, referring to Google's e-mail service.

Job counselors say they remind older workers that networking is even more crucial for them than for younger job-seekers, because their resumes are sometimes undervalued.

Patricia McNally, 58, is following that advice: She's using Web sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook. Yet one of her most effective tools is decidedly low-tech: her dog, Lola.

After being laid off from a marketing job in Washington, D.C., in December, McNally decided she could no longer afford to pay her dog-walker. Still, the dog-walker forwarded her resume to a communications start-up company. That led to an interview, and while the company isn't yet hiring, McNally thinks she's gained a foothold there.

"You never know where your networking's going to come from," she said.

For his part, Cygan refuses to make any concessions to his age.

"I am who I am," he said.

Cygan's been told many times that he's overqualified for jobs he's applied for. Now, he has a ready reply:

"If you ever replace the head of the department, then get in touch with me," he said.

[get_down]

Coming from being Baby-boomer generation, after working more than 25 years, I've decided to retire. I suppose that I was lucky to have pension + personal saving + SS benefits - I don't foresee any financial hardship in the short term near future. After I informed my manger about my willing to retire decision - all he asked was "Are you sure?" and I replied "Yes Sir". Heck - I can't wait to retire. My plan for after retirement has all been planed out - baby-sitting my Grand-kid, doing house-choirs, walking in the park with my Grand-kid as soon as she's able to, watching a couple of movies now and then - isn't life grand? God bless everyone!

[rushlimpdrug]

I'd like to know what Obama has solved since taking office.

[u-r-right]

It has all been family oriented, HIS family that is. Which kind of dog to buy, where to take Michelle out to dinner, etc

[longtree-2009]

employers are onto the many ways, the many tricks, people use to get employed from resume padding to hiding their age. if dates are missing, one can assume it is an older individual applying for a position. a younger applicant will not hide dates. it takes more than botox on the face to hide your age. employers are not stupid. the one mistake employers make is in not doing background checks for anyone who presents as possibly a qualified candidate whether young or old.

[1notrub11]

Interesting comments, of little value.
No one suggested that employers are stupid and I, for one, have never "hidden" my experience on a resume. Other than criminal actions or drug use, a background check, as you put it, will turn up what? Certainly if you are doing a check to determine the candidate's particular age, you are breaking the law I believe. And background checks usually do nothing to determine a candidate's actual qualifications.
Mostly they hire young workers under the assumption that they will save money (benefits, salary, etc.), failing to recognize the corporate memory and potential next generation training experience as it walks out the door, post dismissal. It's a generally stupid way to run a railroad. And now that they have done that, they have increased the burden on the support system going forward in the form of social security, medicare and other national benefits programs.
They are smart, all right.

[darthcheney345]

And what is Obama doing to solve this problem?

NOTHING.

Because everybody wants to talk about Michael Jackson and Sarah Palin.

Obama needs more tabloid stories to divert attention from his utter failure.

[bajajohn1]

Experience and reliability should count. Older workers are more experienced and more reliable. Older workers have more health issues too, and that may be one reason there is a hesitation to hire them. How sad.

[darthcheney345]

As I posted above, the high cost of providing health care benefits for dependents is a major cost incentive to avoid and discard older employees.

This is the best reason for a national health care plan that eliminates the employer's cost for health care benefits.

[docpeter1953]

From the above article, "Kellum expressed interest in a supervisory role coordinating an international health assistance program. A recruiter set him straight: "The people applying for that are young."
______________________________

Excuse me, what did you say your name was again? Do you have a business card?

This is what will be done prior to me filing an age discrimination cause against the recruiter and the company.

[rushlimpdrug]

Of course politicians have no clue about any of this
as they have no clue about the drain of jobs from
American born citizens.
Hire more foreign born professionals and ignore educating
American born citizens.
It is MUCH easier to come in as a foreigner to take a job
than it is for an AMERICAN born citizen to get a professional
job - and their are many excuses to do it.

Good luck to us ALL.

[darthcheney345]

Yes, for some reason nobody has told them yet.

You'd think they'd read the news once in a while.

[darthcheney345]

HAD ENOUGH YET, OBAMABOTS???

The stock market dropped 220 POINTS yesterday.

The market has now dropped back to where it OPENED on the morning of Jan 20.

IT IS NOW JULY.

ZERO IMPROVEMENT IN

[Floretta52]

Hey, darth - on the last full year of YOUR watch (2008), the Dow plummeted from 13043 to 8776 points, a loss of a third. Remember the stomach-churning days of 400-500 point drops?? People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, bub.

[darthcheney345]

As you just admit, the Dow reached its all-time high of 14,000 on Bush's watch.

Obviously his policies were working, until the market lost confidence when the Republicans lost their majority in Congress.

Do the math. Obama can't hold a candle to Bush.

Obama is making Bush look good.

[jschmidt27]

For older workers, like myself, I would suggest going the consultant route if you can. Companies will be more likely to hire them until they're sure the economy is back on their feet. Plus it gives employers a shot at what you can do. You have 18 months of Cobra, maybe $12k per year for a family, that you can use to bridge the health care gap. If you go with a consulting firm, they will have insurance you can pick up maybe at full cost, and they will pay the employer part of SS. All situations are different but this is an alternative instead of going out on your own. Networking is the key. Small businesses are better to work for than large ones which often have fixed HR requirements that older person has trouble getting past. If you go from a small, mid size business to a very large company it can be a culture shock. Establish what pay you can survive on and go after that or slightly hire. But it is difficult to take a 30% or more drop from what you are making. Good luck to the job hunters and bravo to all the new small businesses. I hope you can survive with the tax hikes on businesses that will be coming. As the Dems in CT say, if you don't make a profit you don't have to pay the 25% increase in business taxes.

[1notrub11]

This is the approach I have taken because, after 18 months, nothing else appears likely. The closer you are to average "retirement" age the more likely you are to experience the issue of not being able to re-engage. Worse, the longer you are out, the more toward the rear of the line you appear to be.
Cobra is helpful, albeit expensive, and based on your employers previous programs unless you choose otherwise. Problem: if your former employer folds you may have a problem there and have to go independent. It is a mess.
What you say about dealing with re-engagement is true and I sincerely hope that all the small businesses out there, that are the bread and butter of our society, make it. With the tax hikes that are coming, it will be more difficult to make a profit, but I think a lot of consumers will do their best to help them in the current environment. I know we will.

[whitemale08]

You can thank Bush/Paulson/Obama/Geitner for bailing out Wall Street/City of London instead of putting 14.8 trilllion into long-term projects this country needs to rebuild our de-industrialized economy.

[bajajohn1]

If Obama would have put 14.8 trillion into long-term projects like you suggest...you would b.i.tch about that as well.

[whitemale08]

No I would not.

We would all have productive manufacturing jobs building nuclear power plants and making high speed mag-lev trains.

I used to support Obama because he promised to imitate FDR-style policies but instead wasted our precious tax money on bailing out toxic gambling bets or worthless derivatives and credit-default swaps.

[oftencensord]

After working for other people for 15 years and getting nowhere, I became self employed and was very very prosperous for the past 14 years... until now!
I have never seen such a bleak outlook amongst business. My company is a service provider to businesses and organizations, and every business customer has cut back on spending and competition from competitors is increasing and driving down prices. So there is this two-fold consequence of less work available, and increased competition for the work out there at much lower pay. And the downward cycle is speeding until soon there will be "out of business" signs to go with the unemployed.

By now we have seen the true destructive force of putting political social programs in front of the needs of business. The payoffs and bailouts to save a few union jobs AND ignoring, punishing, taxing, the small business owners is ABSOLUTELY the wrong thing to be doing!

Before the election McCain and Palin were telling you the simple truth about economic prosperity in America. Obama convinced you the policies of the past had failed, "trickle down" economics... Hell, in America we HAD "pouring down" economics.. now there is but a trickle, and we have the Democrats pushing gay rights and costly social welfare programs at us instead of giving tax relief and incentives to small employers!

See you in the bread line !

[darthcheney345]

Not to mention that Obama's new global warming bill will double or triple the prices of many items, including the items bought by businesses.

The cost of doing business will skyrocket. A business like yours gets pinched both ways. Your cost goes up, and your customers' cost goes up.
So you get less business AND higher cost of business.

That spells disaster for most small businesses.

And Obama calls that "a few businesses will fail, but the ones that survive will be that much stronger...."

Obama nation!

[u-r-right]

Oh and notice how HR departments have been developed to be like a shield for upper management (those who used to do the hiring and firing)? They are set up to be cold and personally detahced from the worker and management. To me, the HR department could be done away with to save the company money. That is a "luxury" department. Yet, those in HR (and accounting) are the last to be laid off. Sometimes even before upper management. There lies a lack of efficientcy.

[rushlimpdrug]

Perfect comment. Many HR departments are the Nazi soldiers
doing the management dirty work to keep upper management's
hands clean.

[quapawsix]

Time to revolt, non violent revolt through non cooperation if people stop doing business with these corporations their little ship sinks, wake up America there are more consumers than there are corporations stop the madness and the rape of our way of life quit doing business with people who rig the game in their favor.

[u-r-right]

My wife and I have both recently gone through circumstances that point to age discrimination or more accurately, wage discrimination. There is really nothing you can do about it without strong, expensive lawyer to stir things up a bit. It's not worth it. We are both in our upper forties. I guarantee our work ethic, performance and drive can run circles around any younger candidate for hire.

Our work culture is going to hell in a handbasket. Caught in this globalization cycle that is trying to bring our wages down in line with other countries yet prices remain higher and in line with what wages used to be before our depressed economy was finally acknowleded by our crooked government.

Our jobs have been leaking out of this country for a long time now on top of everything else. And yet, the politicians promote globalization and free trade as a good thing and encourage more of it.

The only way out is to find a niche, start a business or find someone who can get you a job within the government. I certainly don't see any other way.

[tmittelstaed]

I've been on the hiring side of the desk just as much as on the candidate side. Every hiring officer is essentially a shopper. They want as much skills as they can at as cheap a price as they can get. And few of them much give a damn if the employee is going to be around 3 years from now.

If your an older employee who is asked "aren't you overqualified" during an interview, that is code for 2 possible scenarios. The first, which you cannot do anything about, basically means that you have a lot of qualifications but you have been unable to convince the interviewer that you could do the work. The second, which you can do something about, means that yes you have convinced them that you can do the work, but you haven't convinced them that you will do it for what they want to pay.

In both cases the answer to this question is simple. You just look the hiring manager straight in the eye and say "Your probably right, I'm overqualified. But, I can't eat my qualifications. However, I can eat with your paycheck, and I'm ready to do the work for you right now." In short, your job here is to remind the hiring manager what the entire point of hiring a worker is. They have the money, you have the ability, let's make a deal and quit screwing around.

Just be aware that every job posting out there isn't genuine. During the down economy some employers find it easier to fire an existing employee and hire a replacement at half the price, than to go to the existing employee and ask him to take a wage cut. So, they will quietly do interviews to get a feel for the going rate, to see if the going rate for a replacement has dropped low enough to make it worth their while to engage in this. There's an enormous amount of office politics involved in hiring people and I think that at least half of the advertised positions don't actually exist in reality.

[1notrub11]

Some of these comments, I could agree with and understand. However, it is fairly difficult, if the resume is written accurately or well, to hide experience for a job and years in employment. So I do not buy that a hiring manager or the HR rep does not see this up front.
It is much more likely they are trying to attain inexpensive employee. This I can even understand from a business perspective. However, you very frequently pay for what you get and I have no sympathy for someone who fishes in that pond and doesn't like or is afraid of what you get.
An employee can leave any time for any reason - I do not see the argument that an older person could leave as valid.
I do agree that jobs are posted, due to the law, purely for internal purposes. It's a two edged sword.

[darthcheney345]

If your an older employee who is asked "aren't you overqualified" ...
--------------

"Overqualified" is the code word for AGE DISCRIMINATION.

All older applicants should IMMEDIATELY THREATEN TO SUE FOR AGE DISCRIMINATION at the first mention of that word.

You've hit the nail on the head here with your post...I am 54 and live in Phoenix, AZ and recently was invited to interview at Swift Aviation Group in Phoenix for a Technical Writer position. I aced the interview and 2 hours later, received a call from the HR VP who was present among 2 other internal personnel while being interviewed and was told that they decided to give the job to an internal applicant which I felt was b-u-l-l-c-r-a-p given the technical reports/writing was going to the FAA which is something not just anyone can perform or be promoted into. The political corporate environment in this country sucks and will be the downfall of this once great nation.

[sjc_1]

I have always thought it was a shame to sideline people after they obtain so many skills and so much experience. Just when they can give the most back, they are told that they are not wanted...what a waste.

[1notrub11]

Agreed. In most cases the loss of their experience and work sense costs the company more and consumes resources in "reinventing the wheel".
They can also assist in training those who will replace them, once they retire. By disabling the older worker's ability to retire at the right time (early dismissal with no rehire possibilities) also adds burden to the "support", in what ever form it comes, once they have retired - costing the youth and developing talent of the country even more money.
An article some days back was lamenting that teens were unable to find work. How about the parents of those teens who have been released? I strongly suspect that economic damage is much greater.

[sjc_1]

I tend to think it has more to do with wages and salaries. Younger people do not have the skills nor experience to command a premium wage. It comes down to "good enough" and with most businesses that is all they need.

[darthcheney345]

It has to do with the cost of health care benefits.

Have you ever checked to see how much your employer is paying for yours?

If you've been laid off, it's about equal to your COBRA premium. And you know how outrageous that is.

Well, that's what you were costing your employer, once you accumulated a spouse and a few kids.

They want young fresh college graduates, preferably from another country. Not because they're smarter, or they get paid cheaper (once again, check around. Fresh newhires get the same thing you make after 20 years with the company. In fact, the only real reason you ever got a raise was to keep your paycheck in line with what they were paying the green newhire that just walked in.)

No, they prefer the young guy because he has NO DEPENDENTS to put on the health care plan.

That's the best argument FOR national healthcare. It removes the overwhelming cost incentive to cut off older employees who thought having a few years of seniority (remember that?) meant they were permitted to have a family...

[walt1944]

I seem to remember that it is supposed to be against the law to discriminate based on gender, race, physical appearance AND AGE!!!

But, as a former employer once told me, "laws were made to be BROKEN!"!!

Of course our former Great Emperor (and Great IDIOT!) George W. Bush together with the neocon Fascist Nazi Supreme Court has also made it impossible for the average citizen to PROVE that headhunters and employers are discriminating even when they tell you to your face that you are TOO OLD!!!

All you can say, when faced with some airhead who tells you that you are too old is: "ONE DAY YOUR DAY WILL COME, AND IT WILL GET HERE SOONER THAN YOU THINK!!!!!"!!!

HAIL OBAMA??????????

[darthcheney345]

But, as a former employer once told me, "laws were made to be BROKEN!"!!

---------------------

Madoff is a Democrat.

He was reported to the Clinton administration in 1999 and 2000, but they did nothing. Because THEY ALREADY KNEW. They had been "invistigating" him for over a year already, and they were giving him a free pass.

Now, why would a Democrat administration give a free pass to a Democrat criminal like Madoff?

[docpeter1953]

re: by darthcheney345

You are obviously a total nincompoop, that is another word for dumber than an supid, but not quiet as dumb as a complete idiot.

OK Made off first appeared 1999/2000. He finally had enough of scamming people AFTER Obama your Mama was elected, probably decided that he would be finally discovered.

Now think simply here, I am trying to put this as simple as I can so you can understand it. 2001 through 2008, Made off was running under the order of your favorite people -Cheney and GWB- with their complete and total support.

[darthcheney345]

2001 through 2008, Made off was running under the order of your favorite people -Cheney and GWB- with their complete and total support.
------------------------

So, you're trying to defend Clinton by saying he's just as bad as Bush.

Madoff is a Democrat. Clinton is a Democrat. What part of this do you have trouble with?

[miltgiles]

I hope that some of these recruiters that discriminate against older workers will find themselves out of a job someday, and be given the same discriminatory treatment they have given these people. I am an older and out-of-work person, laid off. Most businesses won't hire someone like me, even if I take a lower position at much less pay.
So, I've decided to start my own business, to be my own boss.
And if I'm successful, I'll be sure to hire those older workers who really need a job.

[tmittelstaed]

Good! Behind every sucessful new business startup is at least 1 if not more older, experienced workers. You need to let go of your resentment because what you decided to do is exactly how our economy is designed to work. Most businesses go through a lifecycle where as the business ages and gets older and older it gets more specialized for the needs of it's highest-paying customers, and the business picks up more and more deadweight in the form of employees who just want a free ride, doing non-innovative stuff. As a result their costs rise and they increase their prices and their products get more worthless and dated to customers. Eventually they go out of business during an economic downturn. But unless there's new businesses starting up to replace them, their customers have no place to go.

See a need, fill a need!!!

[iam4honesty]

After twenty+ years in automotive management I obtained a license as a 'Correspondent Mortgage Lender'. Operated my business for twelve years, and my company sustained 41 families. I was forced to close the company down little over a year ago. Trying to avoid putting all those people on the street I put everything I had back into the company keeping it open longer than I should have. Finally I had no choice.

I have been looking for employment since then. Nothing available but the 'scam' sales jobs for older workers.

Thank God my wife is a medical professional and makes a good income, but the article is correct, it's very tough now for older workers. Especially over 55.

[1notrub11]

I agree completely and empathize, because I too am one like you. Out for about 18 months, with no good news in sight.
I wish you much success in pursuing self employment. I have found, in my profession, that a conscientious attempt to retain corporate memory (instilled in workers with extensive experience) is completely absent. While technologies and procedures change and advance, there are many aspects of a competent worker that are lost using this approach.
It's too bad it comes to that.

[sjc_1]

"..is a medical professional..."

I don't want to by cynical, but health care is bankrupting this country. That gravy train is about to end and that is about 70 years overdue.