Posted to Letters to Editor, Monash Weekly 8/4/2011
Keeping mature aged workers in jobs
The biggest problem why many qualified mature-age workers can't find jobs is that many recruitment companies and human resource departments are run by people who don't know about the nature of the positions advertised. They look for perfect match. Whoever can write an application with lots of BS that match the selection criteria will stand a chance for an interview, otherwise the application will be thrown into the non-Recycle bin.
There is no joy for a grey-hair applicant after getting a phone call to go for an interview. The next hurdle is to face a younger, feeling insecure manager who doesn't want anyone that can present a threat to his/her promotion or even replacing him/her in the future.
Many job advertisements are written by graduates who have just finished a TAFE / uni course, using terms or jargon that many people can't understand.
How many of these terminologies can a mature-age experienced person including managers who have been working for decades with small companies "decode"? e.g. 2IC, ICC, CCT, CO, MO, L&D, L&M, PD, KPI, KRA, 360 Degree feedback, 6 Thinking Hats, etc.
Who wants to appear like an idiot in front of an interviewer bombarding the applicant with these out-of-the world terminologies? How many courses do we expect the mature-age unemployed to attend to upgrade their qualification or to re-train? Who do you think the trainers are and what sort of qualification do they trainers have?
Do I sound cynical? Sure I do, I'm one of the unfortunate candidates.
To add salt to the wound, I'm more qualified and experienced than my students and yet if one of my students and I apply for the same position, guess who will get the job? Not me, for sure! Unfortunately, I'm over qualified – haha!
Will you take a Jack of many trades, and master of some like me? I love to hear from you!
There is no joy for a grey-hair applicant after getting a phone call to go for an interview. The next hurdle is to face a younger, feeling insecure manager who doesn't want anyone that can present a threat to his/her promotion or even replacing him/her in the future.
Many job advertisements are written by graduates who have just finished a TAFE / uni course, using terms or jargon that many people can't understand.
How many of these terminologies can a mature-age experienced person including managers who have been working for decades with small companies "decode"? e.g. 2IC, ICC, CCT, CO, MO, L&D, L&M, PD, KPI, KRA, 360 Degree feedback, 6 Thinking Hats, etc.
Who wants to appear like an idiot in front of an interviewer bombarding the applicant with these out-of-the world terminologies? How many courses do we expect the mature-age unemployed to attend to upgrade their qualification or to re-train? Who do you think the trainers are and what sort of qualification do they trainers have?
Do I sound cynical? Sure I do, I'm one of the unfortunate candidates.
To add salt to the wound, I'm more qualified and experienced than my students and yet if one of my students and I apply for the same position, guess who will get the job? Not me, for sure! Unfortunately, I'm over qualified – haha!
Will you take a Jack of many trades, and master of some like me? I love to hear from you!
