Combating Ageism In High-Tech & Other Sectors

How to Contend With Age Perceptions, Judgments & Prejudice To Find Your Next Job

INTRODUCTION

At the outset, I apologize for the length of this piece. The subject covers a serious, perhaps life-altering topic for many people. It requires proper attention, and it probably should be at least twice the size it is now.

I also offer my apologies for using personal pronouns in this article. However, they are necessary because of the subject at hand, and as it is based upon personal experience, they are unavoidable. I have worked in the technology industry for 30 years as a CTO, VP R&D, Team leader, and a programmer. I have been through my share of interviews, and have interviewed during my career over 500 people. I will reference some of this experience below.

As the title implies, this article is specifically aimed at those working in the high-tech industry, due solely to the fact that it is the chosen field of the author. However, the lessons listed within can apply to many other professional sectors.

YOU

Congratulations! You have passed beyond your 50th birthday, and sadly you are not independently wealthy, nor are you a so-called “entrepreneur.” You may be a member of the “silent generation,” “baby-boomers,” or “Generation-X.” You have spent the better part of your working life in some aspect of the technology industry. Allowing you to witness and possibly take part in some incredible changes wrought during the past thirty years, establishes you in the upper echelons of your field. You embody experience, knowledge, wisdom, and foresight to prove it. Most importantly, you still love what you are doing.

Yet suddenly, one day, despite all the work and experience, you find yourself out of work. The powers that be won’t spell it out fearing legal ramifications, but passing time has finally caught up with you. That once invisible red mark between your eyes, now marks you as “old,” shining brightly for all others.

Or maybe you are still employed, perhaps even a team leader or VP of some segment. Though you cannot mark the day it began, you arrive early at work, wondering when all the surrounding faces became so young. Jokingly, some call you Pop, Gramps, or Ma’am. You smile and take it, even as you cringe inside.

You know, in terms of sheer knowledge, aptitude, and experience, you can put those younger people from the “millennials” or “gen-Z” to shame. But white streaks in your hair, coupled with lines on your face and wrinkles under your eyes, tell the story of the inexorable creeping of days and years. (And trust me when I say, they will know if you dye your hair!)

I cannot even count the number of times in the past few years, the statement, “After fifty high-tech is a cruel industry,” has been uttered in my presence. Lately, though the famous maxim goes, “Sixty is the new forty,” the statement has become even direr. Now it has become, “After forty high-tech is a cruel industry.” The absurd irony of this attitude is inescapable. As our life expectancy rises, the chances of continuing in an industry we love diminishes.

The caveats though are essential to internalize:

• You have a passion for what you do and are not just “hanging in there” waiting breathlessly for mandatory retirement
• You keep up with the world of technology, at least in your field
• You want to work in your chosen area of endeavor because the passion still exists

Without the above, then yes, your rage will turn into anger, and your frustrations will eat you up piece by piece inside. Your knowledge will become impractical and virtually useless, transforming you into the fossil many think you already are.

YOUR SEARCH

“Scared shitless” is the term I have heard many colleagues, and even myself use when beginning the search for a new job in an industry that esteems the young. To be fair, there are many valid reasons for this reverence. Millennials and gen-Z were born into technology, where from birth, it is an extension of themselves. They can code like banshees, quickly adopting to newly emerging technologies. While an older generation had to incorporate modern technology into its world of knowledge, the younger generation has been inculcated with technological dominance from birth. This younger, techie generation is your competition. Facing this handicap will force bringing to the forefront, whatever added value you provide as part of your knowledge base. Your abilities, as substantial as they may be, must outweigh the advantages of your competition.

Notice the terminology. “Compete,” “dominance,” “handicap.” Those words belong to the vocabulary of sales and public relations, which, no matter how despised by the “pure” technologists — you must now become more than anything else, an expert salesperson. You are selling the most precious commodity of all — yourself.

Let us also be brutally honest. It takes inner courage and can be a long, frustrating road. I get calls every week from people half my age having a challenging time finding another job in high-tech. As the days go by, the worry breeds deep inside, your funds diminish, and friction in the household grows exponentially. It is a dreadful situation. The worst mistake you could make at this very moment is to allow yourself to sink into depression. Despair leads to self-pity (been there, done that), and whether or not you like it, reflects on everything you do or try to accomplish.

Never forget that under the right circumstances in the right job, you do have incredible added value, which cannot be easily replaced. The real problem is how to present this advantage to others who may be responsible for your future. Below are a few short tips, before you even get to the recruiter, or walk into an interview.

Besides proving the specific knowledge in your area of expertise you need to:

1. Adopt to requirements and needs of any particular job with speed and agility
2. Define to yourself, in the most detailed manner, what type of job you are seeking. Be fanciful, dream big, and allow for no real barriers. Then get real and apply what your dream to the job market. This exercise allows your clarity of expectations towards achieving your goals.
3. Know how to use one of the essential statements in any language: “I do not know.” If they do not occur to you naturally or cannot pass over your lips, practice saying them in front of the mirror, never be afraid to admit when you do not know. It is a hell of a lot better than faking it and uncovered as a fraud later.
4. The other day I walked into one of the major brands of Cellphone makers, trying to decide between purchasing an Android or Apple phone. The salesperson probably assumed he had a smooth sale. No matter what question I asked (and they were detailed and required technical expertise for correct answers), the response always came down to what was wrong with the competitor–not what was right or better about the product I was considering. Not once did the conversation concentrate on the product offered for sale, but what was wrong with the competition.
   Never use this technique during your job interview! It is a non-starter. Telling the interviewer what is wrong with hiring a younger version of yourself and denigrating millennials will not help you.
5. Sell yourself through your abilities. These include the intangibles, which are worth a considerable amount of money for any company. Experience, macro-views of how things are implemented, knowledge of the marketplace beyond the four walls of the office, having observed a myriad of mistakes made throughout your years. These give you a rare insight into what should and should not happen under a set of situations.

ABOVE ALL — KNOW THYSELF

A simple rule, yet the most difficult to master. It took years for me despite working as a CTO, VP R&D, and other programming positions. Some more compelling points about what I learned with this exercise are below:

1. I think in terms of “disruptive innovation,” which can have ramifications within a company cruising along for many years. Disruption is not what many established companies, even in high-tech, are seeking. Yet paradoxically, for the company to stay viable three years down the line, disruptive innovation may be precisely what is required.

2. When asked for my opinions on a technological subject, I am not usually “politically correct.” I often will go straight to how I view the problem and solution, in the purest sense possible without considering the internal politics of an organization. I also recognize that my opinion can be wrong. So, I often ask my boss, “Do you want the politically correct answer or the real one?”

3. I am mega-critical of myself and know when I do not know. I have no fear of saying, “I don’t know.” And I say it often, even when I think I do know the answer.

4. “That is above my paygrade” is an answer I give when instincts kick in and tell me I have just been asked a politically sensitive question, wrapped in technological terms. (And there are so many of those!) It makes people laugh, and it keeps me out of trouble.

5. Despite all the above, I usually am self-aware enough to keep my mouth shut even when I strongly disagree with a decision. My rule of thumb–Argue the point until your boss says, “no.” Then drop it and approach it differently or just do what your boss wants.

6. After working in quite a few technological companies, and many startups, I know where I will fit in and will not fit in. Know what you are looking for in your next job. Is it an excellent salary, or is it passion or creative thinking or being on the edge of technology or a combination or host of other things? Are happy-hour and a pool table critical for you? Free espresso and drinks? Define for yourself what you want. You may not have the luxury of being fussy about your next job, but at least you will know where you can compromise and where your personality will not allow you to, no matter how much you sublimate your real goals.

7. As almost 50% of the people in high tech have, I also dream and plan to begin my startup. It is feasible in the realm of disruptive innovation, includes the possibility for patents, and combines leading-edge technology with the creative arts. It has all the elements of customers making money, technological innovation & last but not least, doing some good in this world. But I also know it will take millions just to start it going. I know my limitations and have accepted raising that amount of money is not within the realm of my expertise. However, if you have your startup dream, and you feel you can “walk the walk and talk the talk,” as the saying goes, then by all means at this stage in your life, if you can afford to do it, go for it. Age and experience benefit you in this case and do not work against you.

So, these are points about my personality. List yours. The list you create is not for your CV, nor to reveal to anyone. (Imagine my putting the above points in a CV!) However, keep your list in mind. It will prove beneficial during your interview in manners you cannot even imagine. Age has its rewards in terms of self-awareness and wisdom.

WHAT SHOULD BE IN YOUR CV BESIDES YOUR WORK HISTORY

1. Facebook etc. — Listing a Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram account is terrific but not useful (especially if they are personal accounts) unless you are in some field that deals with social media where accounts like the above are essential. To be fair, I should note that the use of Facebook groups dedicated to job openings is a suitable place to scour for finding your next position. Many companies use Facebook to find new employees.

2. LinkedIn — Under all situations, you really should have a LinkedIn account, and not one that simply says, “I am looking for a job.” Take the time to fill out the sections, and do not be embarrassed to ask friends for recommendations on your page. Once you layout your profile, you will probably be shocked at the extent of your knowledge, expertise, and experience in your field. If nothing else, view LinkedIn as a “time capsule” for your own edification. Fine-tune the account for “job search” and have LinkedIn send you job recommendations based upon your selection. Will this get you a job? Possibly, but even if it leads nowhere, it will show a level of professionalism that others may not have. Make sure a link to your LinkedIn page is on your CV. I can vouch this works in a job search, especially when you have hit that age-wall.

3. Your CV–There are hundreds of services that will, for cost, write a professional CV. There are so many opinions on how a CV should look, how long it should be, what it should say, what to include and exclude, how many versions you should have, that it becomes impossible to know what is correct. Today, with programs that scan for specific keywords in a submitted CV for a job, the “perfect” CV is almost impossible. (LinkedIn can help you with those keywords.)

4. Keep factors such as reader attention span, retention, negative words, and grammar all at the forefront. Many headhunters will tell you that a CV should be one only page. Great advice for a millennial but will not work so well for a career that spans over 20–30 years.

5. What I do, (and you probably should not do as it goes against all “conventional wisdom”):

• Around eight years ago, I abandoned all the sage advice I was given in creating a CV, deciding, perhaps with hubris, this is my career, and if a company wants me to capsulize it using 350 words, it just will not happen.
• My CV is four pages long.
• I maintain one version only of it.
• It covers most places I worked at and even in one case where it was not a technology job. And when interviewers ask me why I also put this job in my CV (which lasted six months until I returned to high-tech), I answer, “because I am proud of what I did in that company, and it was an incredible experience.” The honest answer is that it shows a personality trait of a willingness to do and try other things. Something any good HR will look at positively.
• It lists my exact positions, allowing me to insert technology and position keywords, which I know the computerized systems are trained to find.
• It contains links to both my Medium and LinkedIn accounts. I have learned these two links are essential.
• It ends with a paragraph containing a short publication history over the years. (Not all, but articles published in well-respected journals.)

“Yes,” to answer the unasked question. Headhunters complain. Few interviewers have ever gone through the CV step by step (one can quickly judge this from their questions.) Yet what I am always told, without fail, is, “your CV is very impressive.” And that dear people is half the battle won.

HEADHUNTERS & PHONE INTERVIEWS

I cannot tell you what to say in a phone interview or to a recruiter or on first phone contact from HR. What I can tell you is to watch out for, and although you have finally received a phone call, you are also interviewing the person on the other end as much as they are interviewing you. If your phone conversation starts with these statements, after the hello and introductions are out of the way, kick all your instincts into gear:

• What are your salary expectations?
• The recruiter states they cannot tell you about the company as the company in question insists on keeping their technology information secret until you sign an NDA.
• What job title are you expecting?

There are a few others, but I am hoping you get the idea. In response, your questions should be:

• Salary expectations for what position?
• What are the hours? Is it a 9–5 workday or being available 365 X 24? Am I expected to be on-call?
• What is the tech stack?
• What does the company do? How long have they been in business? Is it a startup that has just begun? Is it a company with customers or only technology?
• How is the company funded?

Getting the picture? When a recruiter begins with, “What are your salary expectations?” I always respond with: “I cannot answer such a question unless I know what the position entails.” In other words, I need a lot more information. If the phone call is serious, you will get answers. It is a waste of everyone’s time to answer such questions blindly unless you are at the point where you just want a job, any job.

YOUR INTERVIEW

Often, I have walked into an interview and immediately saw in the eyes of the recruiter the question, “What the hell is my father or grandfather (take your pick) doing here for an interview?”

There are diverse types of interviews, depending upon the HR of the company, if one exists, and the method of how the company operates. No matter what kind of interview situation you find yourself in, one thing is clear. Eventually, you must ignore or address the elephant in the room — your age. Since most countries consider such questions as to age, marital status, etc. illegal, it will be up to you to decide how you want to deal with this. My advice is to deal with it rapidly. Get it out of the way, no matter how uncomfortable you feel discussing the topic. Do it with a mixture of humor and seriousness. Make the recruiter see your age as a positive addition to the company, not a negative one. There are keywords here to get into your conversation. “Achievement,” “Loyalty,” “Experience,” “System-wide views,” “Professionalism,” are all keywords for you to use. Urge the recruiter to look at your LinkedIn page (see above). Mention the fact you have as many recommendations as they would like and will give out those names and phone numbers immediately. (I always include one person who can vouch for me as an individual, not just as a technologist.)

Remember the section above, “Above All — Know Thyself.” Well, this is where all that painful introspection will prove worthwhile. Do not be afraid to admit your weakness. Do not be afraid to admit you do not know some parts of technology. Prove you have the willingness and capabilities to learn what you do not know. Know your positive side and emphasize it, especially where age and experience give you an edge. Drill down on what you can offer, with no fear of calling attention to your age.

True story (which I love to tell): I once interviewed for a job as a team leader in NodeJS. My CV and LinkedIn page got me through the door and an immediate interview with the CEO. During my interview, the CEO also introduced me to his head programmer, who asked me a few questions dealing with my area of technology. He then asked me for my weakest point. I immediately answered, “Regex. When I have a regex problem, I go straight to Stack Overflow. Regex drives me crazy.” Like I always say, admit your weak points and what you do not know. Less than 24 hours later, the CEO calls me to discuss salary, etc. and tells me that as far as he is concerned, my contract with all the details will be ready by the end of the week. He just wants me to come in to meet with the head programmer one more time to which I readily agreed. When I arrived for this final interview, the head programmer tells me he would like to test me for 20 minutes in NodeJS with a simple task. He then produces a typed sheet defining what he wanted me to accomplish in code. Guess what it was? Yep. Pure regex! To say it dumbfounded me would be an understatement. I immediately realized the head programmer was purposely putting me in an awkward situation. Could I have done the task? Yes, I did it when I got home, but only after I got up and told him, this is not a place for me. Lesson learned.

I also cannot tell you how to react to illegal or invasive questions (and yes, they are asked more often than you would imagine, especially from the 50+ age bracket.) You must decide for yourselves where to draw that line, and often it will depend on how desperately you need the job. I answer most questions without giving much thought to their legality. Once the interviewer asks me just one personal item, I can use that to turn the interview around and put humor and personality into the mix. It is a two-way street, as they say.

However, I draw the line at invasive questions into my personal life. Questions like, “What do your children do for a living?” or “Why did you get divorced?” are immediately stopped. Either by saying “this interview is over, thank you for your time” or depending upon how I judge the person interviewing me, I simply ask in a naive tone of voice, “What does your father do for a living?” or “How long have you been married?” which always does the trick and sends the message loud and clear. Obviously, I will not get that job. Then again, I walk away with my self-respect intact.

(Here I must add that one my favorite sites is Despair.com. Their “demotivators” never fail to make me roll in laughter. I would suggest a quick peek, as it will at least help balance your thoughts and feelings.)

YOUR DECISION

Congrats! They offered you a contract. Before you put your signature on it, take 24 hours to think and go over what the actual offer includes, what you must do, and if you want the specific job. Again, this will depend on how desperate you are for work. Sometimes desperation can eliminate all discussions, but it can also lead to grave mistakes. Been there, done that.

The final story (combining lessons from all the above):

The startup I worked for was going in all the wrong directions, making horrible decisions, with one of the worst CEO’s I have ever had the displeasure to meet, and the company was running out of money. Colleagues were all trying to leave. I did not want to get stuck at my age without job prospects. It is a hundred times more difficult finding a job when you are out of work, then finding one while you are working. You can imagine I was hitting the “scared shitless” zone. Phone calls and interviews came and went, but I refused to panic. One day, I received a phone call from a recruiter who discovered my CV in their computer system sent in 18 months beforehand! We had a lengthy conversation on the phone, I specifically told him to pay attention to the LinkedIn and Medium links. Within two days, this recruiter had studied my newer CV, seen my LinkedIn, read an article or two in Medium, and came up with three job positions. I immediately found myself in an interview at a large, well-respected company scheduled for 45 minutes and lasted for almost 3 hours. I was with VP of R&D, and later the CTO joined in. It went from technology to personal to discussing what exactly I was looking for in a job. I needed to impress them with my knowledge, my abilities, my experience, and, most importantly, that I could fit in. They needed to know I was looking for something to be passionate about and for good people to work within the environment of high-tech. Within two weeks, I started.

Was it all the money I was hoping to make? No. Was it the only possible job? No. Was it something I felt I could contribute to and use my brains and abilities? Absolutely.

In the end, compromises with your goals are usually necessary. Be smart. Prepare. Accept the fact you will not get every job you go for an interview. Beware that your age will always be “up, front, and center stage.” You cannot hide the years nor run from time so confront your age as a benefit and not a disadvantage. Know what you want and understand clearly what you cannot accept.

Unfortunately, there is no magic potion to combat prejudice. Not with age, gender, race, religion, or anything else. Yet there is a way to work the system to your advantage. Use it wisely. Celebrate your age and wisdom. How many millennials can say they were at Woodstock and saw Janis Joplin & Hendrix in concert? :)

When it seems bleak and dark, remember the words of Dylan Thomas.

Don’t ever let anyone push you into that night.

Good luck and happy hunting to all.

If you found this article helpful, you may find the following one useful as well. “Cutting Through The Bullshit At Startups”
Please do not forget to look through my other articles here on Medium.

Ted Gross has and still works in the high-tech industry for over 30 years as a CTO and VP of R&D, team leader, and programmer. Ted’s original entry into programming was in the realm of databases, and he has always been fascinated by the patterns that data analysis can reveal. The path led to his current study of applying the principles of chaos theory to data analysis and work in other fields, including Machine Learning, Sentiment Analysis, Pattern Recognition, and Disruptive Innovation. His articles on various high-tech sciences and theories are published in professional technology journals. He also gives seminars and lectures on the above topics.

Ted was also an award-winning blogger and an author of several literary short stories and a collection of short stories, ‘Ancient Tales, Modern Legends.’ He has written for various journals in literature and comparative religions. Ted also publishes assorted pieces on LinkedIn & Medium, usually centered on multiple high-tech subjects.

Ted’s dream is to teach university & post-university level students who are genuinely interested in becoming innovative creators in technology. He also spends time secretly developing plans for a startup in creative arts where the nexus is disruptive technological innovation. Alas, as we all know, such endeavors require mass infusions of capital currently beyond his reach. Still, he fully intends to turn his dream into reality.