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Age discriminationEquality, diversity and inclusionLetters

HR one of worst offenders when it comes to age discrimination

by Personnel Today 8 Aug 2006
by Personnel Today 8 Aug 2006

I appreciate your coverage on the upcoming age discrimination laws, as I feel the HR profession has a few things to learn and apply to its own recruitment practices.

When I was 30, I had no trouble getting interviews. When I was 40, it became noticeably more difficult. Now I am 50, it seems almost impossible.

In the past 18 months, I have sent out about 250 CVs to recruiters, about 50 direct to employers, and have applied for more than 150 advertised jobs.

CVs to agencies have resulted in a 60% acknowledgement rate, but have only resulted in about five meetings. CVs to companies have a similar response rate, but I have not been invited for interview for any of the jobs I have applied for. The replies are predictable: “We have had an overwhelming response to our advertisement and there are other candidates who more closely match our requirements.”

About a week ago, I received a reply saying: “Unfortunately, X is not in a position to help you with your job search at this stage of your career.”

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There are about three recruiters who contact me on a regular basis, but it’s clear that HR is one of the worst professions when it comes to discrimination.

Geoff Evans
HR professional

Personnel Today

Personnel Today articles are written by an expert team of award-winning journalists who have been covering HR and L&D for many years. Some of our content is attributed to "Personnel Today" for a number of reasons, including: when numerous authors are associated with writing or editing a piece; or when the author is unknown (particularly for older articles).

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Personnel Today
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