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True StoriesNeil Berger,
60: HR Executive
Over the years as he moved up the ranks within the HR discipline in a variety of industries, he has found himself sitting "on both sides of the interviewer’s desk," a perspective that has made him "a realist" on the subject of age prejudice. "I’ve had specific instructions not to hire anyone over age 50," he said. Recently, his own job seeking activities as a mature executive have confirmed that "age prejudice is alive and well in corporate America, and not just in a five-person machine shop tucked away in some industrial park." Tokenism is far more common than is generally known. "Companies who wouldn’t hire a middle manager over age 55 have no problem hiring a ceo in his sixties. "Employment agencies," he has found, "are the worse offenders. Often in their naiveté, they flaunt the age discrimination laws." In fact, even agencies he had worked with in the past to help him fill positions, were "polite but useless" when approached on his own behalf. He wondered if this was unique because he was looking for an HR position, but found that "Upper management people who were also looking for a job encountered the same response." This story has both a moral and a happy ending. After several months of "networking, networking, networking" which he believes is the most important part of any job search, Neil Berger has landed himself a new job, or same job and title (VP for Human Resources), different company, one that "understands the need for HR." In fact, he got the lead for his new job from his wife, Carole, a consultant and trainer. "The jobs are out there," he said. "Smaller companies are more willing to hire someone over age 50. They save money on training and have to worry less about turnover when they hire the over-50. The pitfall? Small companies often can’t compete with benefits offered by larger companies. This is a better than decent market for ‘mature’ job seekers. But it requires patience and perseverance. Keep current and acquire computer skills. Other than the janitorial staff, all employees in our company must be computer literate and comfortable with computers." So what will he do when he "grows up?" "Fifteen years ago, I designed a job search course. Two years ago, I had the opportunity to teach it again. So much had changed in the job search arena that I virtually had to start from scratch. I’ve also taught courses at local colleges. I’d like to do some teaching on a part-time basis. I like being in front of students. I know I’m good at it. Wow, talk about full circle!" Getting Started Change is inevitable. Sometimes we get to choose the timing, sometimes not. But for many of us 50 and older, with reduced family responsibilities and a portable 401K, moving on can be a new beginning, an opportunity to explore careers you have dreamed of or postponed, until now. You may be far better prepared -- with skills, personal contacts, resources -- than you realize, to launch yourself into a new field. Click next careers for more job search websites, books and ideas to help you take action. Home | True
Stories Copyright 2001 2Young2Retire.com, All Rights Reserved
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Human resources executive, Neil Berger, 60, had
his first "mid-career crisis" at age 28, when he "decided I wanted more
than what the civil service world could offer," and ended a five-year career as a
teacher of English at a New York City high school. He added a New York University MBA to
the Masters degree in Education he already had, and launched a career in the human
resources profession. As it turns out, the teacher in him hadn’t quite disappeared.
But we’ll get to that.