[Whiny Rant] Discrimination Against Age

[flibitijibibo]

A couple facts as a background to the rant and why I'm bothering to post one here:

- Lots of people here seem to be jobless
- Lots of those people are between the ages of 16-22 (around college grajamation age)

Many of us have been searching endlessly for work, filling out applications day and night and harassing employers by phone when the Internet isn't working. For me, the last 2 weeks have been focused on a PC technician job at Staples, and it eventually failed because the manager began to dodge me. No, not saying "we are no longer hiring", because the guys that interviewed me said that they NEEDED me. He puts me on "hold" in what I assume is a "please do not answer this line" line. What I ended up doing was an experiment to figure out what the fuck was going on with my crappy job search. I got a friend of mine who is in his early 40s (but looks young enough to be around early 30s) to ask a place if they were hiring, then I would go in later that day to ask the same question. We live near a shopping center, so we got about 10 or so places to do this. As it turns out, most of the places were willing to go "oh, GOD we are just DESPERATE for servers/cashiers/sales people" to my friend, but when I asked, I recieved a cold "we're not hiring now". It's official: I cannot get work because I'm "only" 18.

What angers me the most is the time this is occurring. Millions of people our age are looking for work, and the employer is being picky? Bullshit. I can understand if the person isn't qualified, but when it's a personal preference, that's where I grab my shovel and gas-mask. It's unbelievable to find so many people have the audacity to basically say "oh, is your income 0? Well tough shit, I don't feel like hiring you because I wouldn't like you personally." Equal opportunity my ass. Why don't they just discriminate customers too? "Oh, we can't fix your PC, you're not old enough for us to fix it." I'll tell you why: That would cause them to get less money. If money's not a risk for them, they don't give a flying fuck about you. Of course, what they don't realize is that those they discriminate against will have no problem telling everyone they know about it, especially when they know it for sure.

Oh, and I was not the only one who did this. I've had many of my friends try this experiment all around the area, all with the same results. Even students who LIVE AT THE UNIVERSITY cannot get jobs at the bookstore or any other related job because they prefer some 40-year-old who died inside ages ago. The only way to get work nowadays is to either have a degree or some type of certification (i.e. lifeguard), be damn close to getting one, or be the person mentioned above. Fuck people.

[Jean-Luc]

You aren't alone. I can't tell you how many time when I would go to Best Buy, or Target, or other stores week after week after week, asking if they were hiring. I always dressed professionally (black slacks and dress shirt), but they always told me "We are not currently hiring." Nothing cold, just to the point. And yet, it seems that at least every 2 weeks, at one of the places, I saw someone new there...

[Huero]

not discrimination
smart choices
i would pick a 40 year old over a 20 year old any day as they have more life experience, know what to expect, are more wise, etc.
i'm sure if you both had a little trial work period and the younger one turned out to be a better worker they would be picked anyway
unfortunately this is not how the world works

[Jean-Luc]

not discrimination
smart choices
i would pick a 40 year old over a 20 year old any day as they have more life experience, know what to expect, are more wise, etc.

Which is a problem really. If you don't hire the 18-20 year olds who are inexperienced, then I'd like to hear how you expect them to GET experienced. Also, I fail to understand why there is all this negative talk about people in that age group. We aren't all fuckups! :mad:

[Inferno]

Which is a problem really. If you don't hire the 18-20 year olds who are inexperienced, then I'd like to hear how you expect them to GET experienced. Also, I fail to understand why there is all this negative talk about people in that age group. We aren't all fuckups! :mad:
IAWT Entire Thread

[=sw=warlord]

Yeah i know how you feel, i've been sending C.V's everywhere and no one is replying or if they do they say their not hiring.
I have to goto a job center each week tell them what ive done in my job search and they bicker at me because there are no jobs i can successfully apply for, i do not have a driving licence as the time i spent when i finished school i spent on getting a diploma at college...i've got the qualifications i just don't have the experience which i wont get untill i work.

[Random]

Internships

[Huero]

Which is a problem really. If you don't hire the 18-20 year olds who are inexperienced, then I'd like to hear how you expect them to GET experienced. Also, I fail to understand why there is all this negative talk about people in that age group. We aren't all fuckups! :mad:

true but giving the person experience is not a company's goal
it's to get labor from them for a fair price (or a cheap one if you're an idiot)
e: random, internships are a different situation

[ExAm]

InternshipsMan, FUCK internships. I need money NOW, and I'm NOT going to work for free.

[flibitijibibo]

Man, FUCK internships. I need money NOW, and I'm NOT going to work for free.
This. I learned that the hard way (teaching 200 students for a whole school year for free).

[Cortexian]

This is why I'm joining the Reserves, it's steady pay and they're almost always hiring.

[itszutak]

Well, shit. I'm staying in school/college for as long as I can--hopefully the economy recovers by then. It sucks that you have to take the brunt of this recession though.

E: 2000th post and I didn't shit up the offtopic with a thread about it. woo

[MetKiller Joe]

People want to cut costs because people aren't buying as much. Employers still have families they need to support.

If you were worth the money you'd probably be hired. If the minimum wage was less (think 3 bucks), maybe you'd have a better chance.

My mom runs a biotech business. She had an intern over last summer, and she got a call/e-mail from him last month asking for the position again (for free):

"Well, it was tough. I lose money if I take him even for free because I have to train him, and he isn't willing to do any of the hard stuff (cleaning, taking out the garbage, getting food, etc). I can't ask somebody that volunteers to do that, but if they'd offer, I'd give them a job."

Also, think about this: you are competing with much much more experienced people for the same paying job. Keeping looking.

I'd be blessed to get a free job. Hell, if I could pay my employer to take me in, I'd do it. Just so I can say I went to X company.

[Sever]

Guess I'm just lucky. I work at a company that employs people who are ONLY 18-25 years of age.

[Alwin Roth]

oh god, i totally know what you mean,
They wont hire me to work at dunham's because i don't look "helpful"
even though they have a giant "Hiring" sign outside -_-

[Limited]

The problem is theres alot of people looking for jobs. If they see a 30 year old going for a job, they see it as a long time commitment. They also realize the 30 year old has to be pay bills etc, they assume you still live with parents so everything is hunkey dorey.

Ive got 2 days lined up next week for my job, I'm hoping they give me more hours. If I do the job really slow I could maybe make it stretch to 3 days.

[rossmum]

A mate of mine who is younger than me applied for a job at the local McDonald's.

They told him he was too old, and turned his application down.

[Timo]

A mate of mine who is younger than me applied for a job at the local McDonald's.

They told him he was too old, and turned his application down.

That's pretty similar to a NZ supermarket chain's strategy - they'll employ a 15 year old over an 18 year old, simply because they can pay them any way they want. Regardless of how retarded the 15 year old is.

[Needles]

oh god, i totally know what you mean,
They wont hire me to work at dunham's because i don't look "helpful"
even though they have a giant "Hiring" sign outside -_-

Heh, if your not a very social person who likes others.... I wonder how hard it would be to get a job.
Damn I'm going to have some big problems.

[rossmum]

That's pretty similar to a NZ supermarket chain's strategy - they'll employ a 15 year old over an 18 year old, simply because they can pay them any way they want. Regardless of how retarded the 15 year old is.
Yeah.

Guess I can't complain though, because last time we got lunch from Macca's at Lithgow we got about double what we ordered for no extra cost. I hope they keep employing ditzy teenagers who dropped out and failed maths, I like getting extra food :D

[TVTyrant]

Most of the people I apply for can't wait for me to work there, and I'm 17 O_O I think thats because I only apply at places after chatting up the manager though.

[Reaper Man]

Weird, I don't seem to get any problems working as a freelancer. They seem to like that I'm young and find it sort of a novelty that a 17 now 18 (was 17 at my last photo job) year old works as a photographer.

[Varmint260]

I agree with the thread, though. Definitely had a lot of trouble finding a job this past year. Heck, it's only now, an entire YEAR after my college graduation that I've gotten as far as a job interview. Most companies don't want to hire first or second year apprentice mechanics, and rarely 3rd or 4th years. They all want journeyperson mechanics. I mean, sure... the journeyperson has all the experience and they've shown they have some skill and commitment to get as far as they have. However, if no one hires a first-year apprentice EVER, then once all the old tradesmen retire, there's nothing fucking left! Though there are reasons to go for experience, going for experience exclusively doesn't work in practise.

[ExAm]

I need to set up a craigslist ad for tech services. That's the only way I'll ever get money in my town.

[RecycleBin]

I was going to go to college and get my masters degree. Then when I get out of school I wouldn't have to worry about this kind of thing.
Although being jobless because of your age realy sucks. If you are willing and able to do a certain teask then you should be able to work at that job regarfless.
I can't say I blame the people who do that though. A lot of times if I go to a place of buisness that employed 16-20 year olds they provide very shitty or no service.

[PlasbianX]

Im working at a job where they actually try to hire younger people. Older people during the weeks take the 7 AM to about 4 at the latest shifts. The teenagers get the 3ish shifts to 10. Weekends are nothing but teens. College kids fit in the in between shifts.