Tanking Economy And Age Discrimination Help Bring About A New Choice

Every day I receive a least two to three new unsolicited resumes for employment. While this is not new in and of itself, the fact that the age group applying is proportionately getting older and with experienced employment histories. The fact that I am getting middle aged college grads, looking for an entry level position, whether full or part time is disarming.

The reason I am entering this into what is mainly a mens fashion blog comes from a fax I received two days ago. The fax was a Virginia newspaper article about the mens retail chain S & K entering into Chapter 11 and downsizing over 100 of their brick and mortar locations from approximately 130 to 30 nationwide.

Being with an upscale menswear company myself that has been in business for over 133 years made me start to agonize over the fact that this could also happen to us. Every month in our own mall I see new empty store fronts in all areas from childrens toys to womens shoes. Finding good, qualified employees 12 months ago used to be one of the hardest parts of my job. I personally have over 30 plus years in management and I can honestly say I have never had a better group of employees in all those years, The choices for great qualified applicants are numerous.

OK I digress from the main thought of what this post is about and want to keep it focused on the subject matter of this blog and that is trends in mens fashion, et al Earlier posts I ran a series of articles on what to wear for a job interview in regards to clothing. I finished reading a few articles about what else a man can do in helping the odds of finding and getting a job. There was also an eye opening BBC documentary on this very subject, that pertained to both sexes and age discrimination.

We are pretty much born with our physical attributes, however the older we get, the more prevalent the “packaging” of our being is judged. The growing trend of trying to look younger is no longer about ones vanity, it is part of what goes in the overall decision on whether you land a position or passed over for a younger applicant. No longer is experience viewed as a plus in many corporate hiring practices. Although against the law, this is a fact that I am sure could be verified by many of you who are now reading this.

While a great suit and shined shoes will always be most important, the new personal addition to ones portfolio or should I say strategy is, drum roll….,,,, a Face Lift

Those looking for employment at midlife can be out of work as much as a month more than the average young adult. When midlife unemployed do find jobs, they’re usually at lower wages. In one study by Fidelity, one-third of workers 50 to 59 cashed in their 401(k)s — their retirement money — when they left work, a bad sign.

Middle ageism can be the final straw that weakens one’s defenses against the rising pressures to not look your age. But anyone hoping to maximize her income by investing in expensive and hazardous products and procedures should think again.

Some people earn more as they age into their middle years because of the remnants of our seniority system. Now business and government get rid of people precisely because they earn more. Dyeing your hair or getting a face lift might help you find a job at midlife, but if your employer has decided to cut back on expensive employees no “rejuvenating” technique will prevail.

Such unacknowledged facts cause the bias against “boomers” as techno-idiots and “deadwood” who persist in wanting to hold onto their jobs! Without such middle-ageism, there would be nothing wrong with no longer being young. It brings many good things: a different kind of good looks, experience, job expertise, resilience. But the cult of youth has grown more vicious in response to the downward pressure on employees’ wages.

People who are desperate about their jobs and income security are often looking for a marginal advantage. Their decision to get a face lift won’t be spurred by vanity. They take on debt to pay for surgery just as they might go into hock for job retraining.

In this broader economic context, we can understand how “anti-aging” hooks its followers, despite panic about the technical failures and fear that the product might work and still prove ineffective in the job market.

Whether such a dramatic step should be taken, the fact that the dialogue is being discussed at all, is troubling.

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Posted by Glenn on Mar 2 2009 Filed under MONEY, NEWS, SELF HELP. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry