I recently interviewed for a job at a local farm coop in Kansas. The hiring manager was a punk 25 year old kid. He made no bones about telling me that he was not about going to hire any “old people”. He went to great lengths to tell me that his new masters degree in accounting was more valuable than my experienced MBA. He told me that he intended to hire a recent college grad whether he had any experience or not, that he didnt need any old guys with a lot of experience because he could teach the new guy what he needed for him to know. I asked him, so if you dont know it, how will you teach it, to which he bluntly told me, I can hire a consultant. A week later I got a rejection letter, as did several of my experienced friends who also applied for the position.
Ultimately the fault here lies with this young mans employer.. It probably is for the best since working there would have been a less then pleasant experience.
The young are far smarter then the older folks will ever be. If you want proof of this simply ask a recent college grad.
It’s anecdotal but I had a small retail business years ago and had working for me 6-9 people depending on the tie of years. I owned the business 15 years and during that time I always sought t higher older people (55 and up of possible) because I found them to have by far the strongest work ethic. They almost never called in sick, they showed up on time or earlier and left at closing or later. They asked for nothing and simply did their jobs.
“I recently interviewed for a job at a local farm coop in Kansas. The hiring manager was a punk 25 year old kid... “
If anyone is interested in buying a farm coop in about 3 or 4 years, here is your chance. It will need some improvements, but it will probably be had at a bargain.
FWIW concho, I’m only 36, but in my experience, its better to not have a job working FOR an idiot like that. I know times are tough, but hang in there. You should offer consulting services to the punk right away ;-). That way you are working *with* him and can be brutally honest as to how arrogant this person is.
If he used the exact quote saying that he wasn’t going to hire any “old people”, isn’t that grounds for an age discrimination lawsuit? I know he could hire whomever he wants but to blatantly state that in front of you is shockingly demeaning to say the least(not to mention possibly illegal).
Perhaps you should have point the punk to the laws governing employment:
The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), which protects individuals who are 40 years of age or older.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_Discrimination_in_Employment_Act
Cheers