I applied for a position last year with Rackspace. They only hire twenty something’s and an occasional 30 something if they are desparate to fill a position.
I interviewed with 15 people over two days, each one telling me they needed someone “seasoned” in managing a team where conflict was prevalent. Finally the last interviewer, after walking me around, showing me the slide and all the cool things they do asked me why I wanted the position, I told him I wasn’t sure if they were looking for a manager or a baby sitter.
Interview over.
I was hired as a Business Analyst by a guy into a semi-start-up company two years ago. I was about 58 years old. My first day on the job I notice that we have 15 people working in a 500 sq ft room with barely enough room next to your computer to put a piece of paper, and the furniture looked like it was out of Ikea. The entire staff was under 35, most of them under 25. Then I had my first requirements meeting with the primary owner, who was worth a few hundered million and about my age.
Having relatives much richer than her, I was not intimidated and was polite and did my job but I noticed a subtle bristling on her part. By the second meeting I mentioned to my manager (he hired me) that there may be a problem. He said not to worry, and that she had no hiring or firing authority (which I found impossible to believe), and to just do what I do and it would be fine.
By the fourth meeting I was wondering if I even wanted to be there. I thought I’d give it a month or so to see if a positive could grow out of it. It’s happened before.
Two weeks from my hire date, they let me go. Actually, their doing that pretty much summed up the kind of company they were and why I probably would have turned in my notice not long after that.
I’ve worked with people since then (I’m new to this area) who have worked with that lady. She got rich hiring cheap young people and getting a company up to the point where she can sell it. And other stuff I won’t get into... But my age was absolutely a factor, and I look significantly younger than I am...
Shows why idiots keep getting elected into office, we are going through an absolute moron apocalypse with young people today. I’ve never seen kids so stupid in my life. Oh they know their computers, but when it comes to anything else it’s like dealing with 6 year old kids. “Obama is good President cause he blaaaack! Waaah! You must be racisssst if you dont like hiim!” And history? Holy smoke, it’s like they never even heard of the world. “Is that like the past or something?” “Marxism, is that like the 3 Stooges?”
Baby sitting is exactly what it was. Incredible, they'll hire people with the emotional maturity of toddlers, but not people who are mature, and then they wonder why they are having problems.