Job Search: Age Discrimination

Searching for a job? Are you worried about age bias or age discrimination?

Finding a job or making a career move in this volatile economy is tough.  It's common to hear stories of folks who have been on the unemployment rolls for 2 years or longer, with no end in sight.  But for the "Over 40" crowd, it's doubly difficult.

More than ever before in my long career as an attorney, I receive phone calls from folks who are concerned that they've been passed over for a job offer due to their age. 

Career Advice & Legal Help

A colleague of mine, Lynda Watts, publishes an exceptional blog called Grown-Up Living: Careers & More.  I enjoy her weekly articles, and I frequently forward a link or two to particular clients when Ms. Watts publishes something of particular relevance to them. 

Because Age Bias and Age Discrimination are such hot topics, and because Lynda Watts has written so eloquently about the issue, I am compelled to pass along the information for the benefit of the "Over 40" crowd.

Is there a difference between "age bias" and "age discrimination"?

If so, what is the difference?

Much is written on the topic of age discrimination.  Anyone in the job market who is over the age of 40 has at least considered the issue, even if s/he doesn't believe s/he's ever been the target of it.

But what about "age bias"?  What is it, exactly, and how does it differ from "age discrimination"?

Most often, when I receive a call from a potential client who believes his age has impacted an employer's decision to terminate his employment or to not make a job offer, a close look at the facts indicates to me that we're dealing with bias, not discrimination.  And if it doesn't qualify as discrimination, the applicable laws offer no protection.

Perhaps the best article I've read (outside of legal journals) for the layperson was written by Attorney Lynda Watts on her blog.  That article, Age Bias in Interviewing & Hiring: Tips to Tip the Scale in Your Direction, provides a clear distinction between bias and discrimination, and it goes on to reveal the methods to overcome the negative effects of age bias.

According to its author:

Understanding what you can do to tip the scales in your direction requires that you understand how and why your age affects the perception of the interviewer.

The author then explains that critical perception issue, and shows you how to overcome it.

It's easy enough for you to read the article for yourself, so my intention is not to repeat all of its message here.  But, I do want to point out that the issue is one which needs clarification and understanding -- especially by the hundreds of thousands of unemployed workers over the age of 40.