About 8 years ago, I interviewed with a mature software startup company. They were about 8 years old and had perhaps 1,200-1,500 employees at the time.
The founding CEO was looking to augment their technical leadership staff because the founding CTO was struggling with their responsibility as the company scaled.
I had done some coaching for the CEO years earlier, so we knew each other, which was my segue into consideration.
I sidestepped the preliminary interview steps and was immediately scheduled for a full-day interview meeting with nearly every member of the C-team.
I believe the interviews went quite well. I was certainly qualified for the position, and my track record matched their challenges and growth plans for the technology organization.
That said, I didn’t get the job.
As a funny side note, the person they eventually hired was ~25 years younger than me and had previously worked for me at another company. Talk about successful mentorship 😉
There was another funny thing about the interview. Every one of the interviewers, with one exception, asked me about my “energy level.” They couched it nicely, speaking in terms of the company’s fast-paced culture, work expectations, and overall 7x24 focus.
Of course, I deftly deflected and answered their questions, but it struck me that they were all worried I might be napping during the day 😉 or getting confused at times. Or perhaps taking too long to make decisions.
When I left the interview, I knew I wouldn’t be offered the job because of my perceived “energy level.” I was perfectly fine with that. But the clear and direct ageism stuck with me. Mostly because it was so blatant, yet I’m convinced they were not self-aware of it.
BTW: I was in my early 60s at the time.
Why am I writing this now?
Because I see a tremendous amount of ageism in my current travels as an agile consultant and coach. So many people- fantastic people- I know are looking for work.
And many of the interviewing stories, if they even get an interview, are similar to mine.
Largely, they are being looked over by AI and by humans because they are—
Overqualified, overexperienced
Looking for too much money
Are considered under-skilled when compared to younger candidates
Hard to manage
Or simply put…OLD.
And I want to call it out for what it is—Bullshit!
First, I could have done a remarkable job in that role if they had hired me. I had the skills and experience to sort out their issues AND build a strong team of leaders around me. In the end, it was their loss. And they still haven’t sorted out many of their issues.
Second, I know so many folks in their 50s, 60, 70s, and beyond who are—
Business-skilled
Technically-skilled
Soft-skilled
Experienced
Courageous
Hard-working
Innovative and open-minded
Decisive
Brilliant
Nice
That would be an incredible compliment in creating high-performance and diverse organizations today. Even when navigating AI strategically.
Companies are looking for younger people when they should be looking for broader, deeper talent.
The pattern of discarding individuals because of their age is short-sighted, disrespectful, and, dare I say, illegal.
I challenge ALL companies to reexamine their internal mindset around age and to stop the blatant ageism.
Reconsider doing the right thing and hiring great people regardless of their age.
Now, who wants to hire me? Just kidding 😉 I’m good where I’m at.
Stay agile, my friends,
Bob.
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