Is it harder for younger or older jobseekers to find work?

By Laman Ismayilova

Every profession has its stereotype of a typical employee, one component of which is age.

Perhaps age is not the main component of success but plays an important role in recruitment process.

For some reason, often employers hire those who are aged 30 to 35. Many believe that young people are more active, mobile, flexible to changes and more inclined to compromise. That means, young people’s success in finding a job is inevitable! But is it true? 

Sometimes it's more profitable for employees to hire young people: they are paid less compared to senior colleagues.

However, there are also companies that reject inexperienced graduates. It's a great risk for a large company to hire a recent student who is not capable to tune into the rhythm of work.

Although it will sound paradoxical, the problem is actually not the age itself. The thing is, at certain point in our lives, we want more comfort and less stress. After 35 years, we have more sober, calm and balanced look at life. Not everyone can save youthful enthusiasm and desire to archive their goals after thirty-five.

Instead of seeking to realize their dreams, one begins to appreciate a comfortable stay at work and earn more with less effort after certain age.

On the other hand, young people have ambitious plans. They are ready to conquer the world, earn a million dollars and so on. Such employees are willing to sacrifice comfort for the sake of realization of their ambitious projects. In the end, they definitely come across as more effective by simply being ready to spend more energy on work. They burn with desire to do everything for their company. 

This time of "burning" lasts approximately 5-10 years.

The mentioned two periods differ only in that the first priority of the employee is a personal comfort , and the second - success. This is the only reason why employers prefer younger people.

So what to do if you are over 35 and have a problem of employment? For the employer it is not the age that matters but the personal and professional qualities of the potential employee. To get the desired job, one should show during the interview that they have the same degree of ambitions as 25-years-old. Show only one thing - great desire to develop as an expert!

One of the best ways of becoming more effective at work is to learn how to manage one’s time more efficiently. Other key features include learning how to manage stress, improving one’s communication skills, and taking action on career development. All of these can have a major impact on your effectiveness at work.

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Laman Ismayilova  is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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