Don't Let Age Discrimination Spoil Your Career Change

Age discrimination laws help ensure that you are not denied a job, an equal chance of training or a promotion because of your age. They also protect you from harassment or victimisation because of your age.

It is not unlawful for an employer to request a candidate’s date of birth but this cannot be used to discriminate against the person. Older people experience most age discrimination. However, it also takes place against young people. It is unlawful, however, for an employer to impose a lower age limit when recruiting, unless this age restriction can be objectively justified or is imposed by law.

If you feel you are at a disadvantage because of age-related criteria for recruitment or promotion policies, or if you think you are suffering age discrimination, you will be able to bring a claim to an Employment Tribunal. However, it's best to talk to your boss first to try to sort out the matter informally. You are entitled to write to your employer if you think you have been discriminated against or harassed because of your age.

Age Discrimination, Age Prejudice & Ageism

Age Discrimination and Ageism is now so rife in the British workplace that CIPD recently announced that people have only five years in their entire working lives between the ages of 35 and 40 during which they are not thought to be either too old or too young for a job, never mind for jobs over 50 or midlife career change.

And while age prejudice affects both junior and senior workers, it is the oldest who are typically hardest hit when it comes to midlife career change. According to Age Concern, many employers automatically assume that older workers lack dynamism and are unable to be retrained, which is why a third of workers over the age of 50 currently find themselves outside of full-time employment seeking new ways to midlife career change.

However the truth of the matter is this: younger people in their 20s are up to three times as likely to take a day off through sickness as their colleagues who are aged 50-plus, according to research undertaken by superstore Asda.

42 per cent of those people surveyed explained that they "pulled a sickie" as a result of unhappiness rather than hangovers. People splitting up with boyfriend / girlfriend; pet death and servicing the boiler were also cited as reasons to phone in 'sick'.

In a further blow to ageist attitudes, one of the key strengths of older workers is that they also proved less likely to take time off with a cold or flu.

Workers aged 60-plus were least likely to take a day off sick. Presented in the right way, for jobs over 50, you can be an asset.

Anti Age Discrimination Laws

In October 2006, a new European Union law secured basic working rights for older workers. Until then, however, employers were remain legally entitled to make people redundant for being too old, or to otherwise discriminate purely on the grounds of age. It is a sad fact that ageism and age discrimination will continue, albeit wrapped up as some other (spurious) reason for the discrimination, so older workers will have to be on the lookout. But far from becoming defensive about your age, look on it as an accumulation of experience and wisdom.

High on the list of your key strengths and accumulated wisdom is likely to be the ability to deal with adversity and deal with difficult people.

In other words don't let the b******s grind you down!

Critics argue that any legislation is long overdue and that employers need to ditch any prejudice over age sooner rather than later. Increased life expectancy coupled with poor fund performance or mismanagement and the recent fall in the value of equities means the UK is already facing a pensions shortfall of almost £30 billion. This shortage of funds means many of todays over 50s let alone their younger counterparts are going to have to remain in work for longer than planned in order to fund their retirement.

In the USA, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) only forbids age discrimination against people who are age 40 or older. It does not protect workers under the age of 40, although some states do have laws that protect younger workers from age discrimination.

So what does all this mean for your career change? Over the next decade and beyond, not only will older workers be in growing demand, they will increasingly be in need of the work. And this is going to require a major shift in attitudes from employers and employees alike. One of the major challenges facing more mature workers is that after years of discrimination and negative conditioning their confidence and self-belief can suffer. You must take control of your own attitude and reverse this conditioning.

Midlife career change , then can be an option for most people, but means you will have to work at it more than younger up-and-coming applicants. You must make more of your network of contacts, along with their contacts. People who know you directly or from a recommendation are more likely to consider your abilities and competence, than simply your age.

Although your skills and experience may be much greater than the person who interviews you, you will be perceived as more of an asset than a threat if you acknowledge their superior position; show how you will support them and help them to further their career. In other words by being the strong underpinning to their career growth, their own self-interest is served.

Have confidence in yourself but don't oversell or continually talk about how you used to do things; ask how your new firm approaches it's tasks, then show that you are keen to contribute and support, NOT takeover and lead. Not yet anyway!

You can get more help and learn everything you need to know in order to make a successful midlife career change by referring to the material on this site.

Find out how to describe your key strengths, which are the absolute key to convincing any employer of your worth; how to write covering letters that make you stand out as an exceptional candidate, and how to prepare Your CV in the most effective and compelling way.

You must also understand how to get ready for the inevitable interview questions.

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