Age says nothing about how someone stands and functions in their work. Yet people over 50 are often dismissed as “too old. SO unjustified, thinks Petra Herman. ‘Age says little. I talk to people a few times a year who are between 30 and 40 in whom I think: shall I turn on the motion sensor to see if there is still life in them?’
Not only do clients hesitate when they see a resume from someone over 50, candidates themselves are often insecure about their age.
Petra Herman
notices it regularly in interviews. ‘Am I not too old,’ they then ask her. She always gives the same answer, “Age is just a number.
What matters are three things. One: Are you informed and connected to the latest developments in your profession? Two: Do you have passion for your craft and do you radiate it? And three, do you still have energy and drive to want to make a difference? If you meet those three conditions, your age becomes much less of an issue and perhaps even an advantage. Because you bring many years of relevant work and life experience; a much broader perspective than someone in their 30s.’
Does Herman Rutgers never look at age?
‘We will never discriminate against anyone by age. Quite a bit of our population is over 40, as we mediate for senior positions. However, a client may have a preference for a certain age for the composition of his team in order to keep the team diverse. Suppose it’s a team of five and you already have three people between 40 and 60 years old and one in his thirties, then it’s quite logical to look for a younger person to go with that.
Don’t prejudices about people over 50 also have to do with the fact that outwardly they do not conform to the ideal image of the young, dynamic professional?
‘People need to stop thinking your career is over when you’re 50. If you’re at your craft, sparkling with energy and passionate about what you do, that’s what people remember about you; not those few wrinkles. A twenty-something or thirty-something who exudes absolutely no energy will not get there either. So I often think: why don’t we talk about energy labels instead of ages?
Is it difficult to convince clients of this?
‘Sometimes it needs a little more convincing. I remember a procedure a few years ago for a director of communications. I had suggested four people: one in his late thirties, two in his forties and one in his fifties. The director of HR asked me: should we go see the fifty-something, because it is old. I replied that they definitely needed to speak to the fifty-something, because it was someone who was completely up to date, had passion for what he did, brimming with energy and with 25 years of relevant work experience under his belt. The fifty-something got the job.
Do you have people over 60 on file?
‘Yes, and for some of them I put my hand in the fire, because they are really special people. When you talk to them you feel the energy, they connect effortlessly with the younger generations and are still completely up to date in their profession.’
Perhaps people find it difficult to lead someone older than them?
‘That could well be the case. If someone has much more experience than you, that can be perceived as threatening. As an older colleague, you can dispel that feeling by indicating that you are very cooperative. That you are not out to saw at someone else’s chair legs, but are happy to share your knowledge and experience. Again, personality is more important than age. Because if you’re a know-it-all or a rooster at 30, you still will be at 50, unless you’ve learned something.’
