The Senior Citizen and Age Discrimination in Hiring.

Senior Citizens retire, go out and see the world, do all of the things that they could not do when they were working, and then find that something seems to be missing.  There is no sense of satisfaction, no challenge in life.  They have accomplished in life what they wanted.


Depending upon your point of view, our daily rat race will either make an old person of you, or will keep you young.


The adrenaline starts flowing when the alarm goes off in the morning.  Up, shower, shave, brush your teeth, chug-a-lug a cup of coffee, and maybe gulp down a piece of toast.


Fire up the car with a roar, and go heading down the road.  Pedal to the metal, join the other drivers on the race course.  OOPS!  I meant the expressway.  Watch the mirrors to stay ahead of the other drivers.  Watch ahead for policecars.  Watch the traffic for that timid driver that left a little bit of extra space in front that you can slide in at the last minute to make the exit ramp.  It takes a big motor, bigger brakes, cobra-like reflexes, and nerves of steel to make this trip safely.

Even the charioteers of ancient Rome experienced no greater excitement than can be found in our daily commute.


At the office, shoehorn the car between two badly parked cars.  Nobody parks straight anymore.


In the office, start computer, faxes, printers, or any other equipment necessary for the day.  Start the low priority jobs that were left over from the previous day.  Decode memos, email, notes from the boss concerning the day's work.  Half instructions.  Half explanations.  Misspelled words.  Poor grammar.  Get together with your coworkers and figure out how to get yourselves out of the mess that the boss has gotten you in now.

At lunch, wolf down a quick sandwich.  There is always some shopping that HAS to be done.  Back to the office.

More memos, notes, telephone calls, and voicemail messages.  But it is so exhilarating when the last shipment goes out, last page is printed, last matter is settled, just at the stroke of quitting time!

Start the car, again with a roar, and head home.  It is amazing how the trip home takes even less time than the trip to work.

At home, have a bite to eat.  Set down in the easy chair and unwind watching television for a couple of hours.

Set the alarm, and go to bed.  Ready to do it again the next morning.

You can call it work.  You can call it a rut.  You can call it a rat race.  But there is no greater sense of satisfaction than going to sleep at night knowing that you met and conquered all challenges and problems encountered during he day.

And the loose ends?  There is always tomorrow.  After all, what are they going to do?  Fire you?  You will have a satisfactory job before can they find a satisfactory replacement!

What does this have to do with the Senior Citizen re-entering the work force?  Meeting challenges.  Companionship.  Sense of satisfaction.

What does this have to do with discrimination in hiring?  You will find out when you apply in HR.  Averted eyes.  Non-committal answers.  "Hmm".  "We will have to consider.".  Meaning that they want a man half of the age of the Senior Citizen, and half the pay.

The Senior Citizen has all the assets that an employer looks for in an employee.  Stable work history.  Education.  Experience.  Common sense.  Solid decision making ability.  All the qualities that it should take to get on the short list for employment.

Why, then, is the application of the Senior Citizen ignored?  That is the discrimination that takes place.  Fear as much as anything.  Fear of turning that white maned lion loose among a flock of sheep.  Any organization wants to maintain status quo in so far as their internal politics go.  Any person that a boss hires is expected to fit in a certain niche and follow orders unerringly.

All of those good qualities that a Senior Citizen possesses are danger signals to a boss.  Stable work history indicates that the Senior Citizen is a veteran of workplace politics.  Education, experience, solid judgment, indicates that the Senior Citizen might be able to take over that niche, which is not what the Senior Citizen was hired for.  The Senior Citizen might even represent a danger to the boss's position.

How does the Senior Citizen negate these problems?  Apply for a lower position than you would normally hold.  Downplay the titles of positions previously held.  On the application, only list that education and experience that is necessary to secure the position you are applying for.

One of the most important things is:  Act Dumb!  Only show the intelligence and experience that is necessary to secure the position that you are applying for.  You have to make the HR personnel and all interviewers believe that you will be a good fit with their employees.  All new personnel in an organization are expected to start at the bottom rung of the corporate ladder.  And that includes you, the Senior Citizen.

Good Luck!