can a 50 year old still apply for a job?

Question

old and grumpy as they say but can an ordinary 50 yr.old would still be hired by company's?

Answer 1

How long will it take me to find a new job?"

This often is one of the first questions many older job hunters ask when starting searches. Their severance pay usually lasts less than a year, so finding a new position before it runs out can be their biggest concern. Older candidates are particularly interested in this issue because they worry that possible age bias will extend their hunts.

After five years in Boise, Idaho, as a local TV news anchor, Ron Gardner resigned to do something different. It was early 2000, and even though the dot-com bubble was beginning to burst, he felt confident he would quickly land a public-relations position with a local company.

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But Mr. Gardner had some strikes against him: He was 54 and was changing careers. He also hadn't attended college, having gained his broadcast training in the U.S. Navy. Mr. Gardner made no attempt to hide his age on his resume and listed his dates of Navy service. Seven months later, after applying for numerous corporate PR jobs in Boise, Mr. Gardner was still unemployed. "I began to panic," he says.

Then, while attending a local Rotary Club meeting, he chatted with the Gary Mahn, then director of Idaho's Department of Commerce and Labor. He told Mr. Gardner to apply for a newly created public-information specialist position with the department's Division of Tourism.

Mr. Gardner, who by then had turned 55, expected he would be viewed as too old for the job, but his age turned out to be an asset, and he was hired. "It was his experience and knowledge of the [media] industry that we wanted," says Carl Wilgus, deputy director of the commerce and labor department, who hired Mr. Gardner. He adds that the other applicants for the job were younger than the former broadcaster, now age 60.

Amid the many complaints about age bias from older job hunters, Mr. Gardner's tale may seem to be a rarity. "There's this belief that people over age 50 can't find a job," says Russ Jones, a partner with First Transitions, an Oak Brook, Ill., outplacement firm. "But we haven't found this to be the case."

Mr. Jones and other outplacement counselors say job-search lengths aren't as closely linked to age as some job seekers think. Since there are fewer positions at the top of the employment pyramid, it typically takes longer to land one, they say.

"Since there are fewer jobs at the top, it's more competitive," says Brian Clapp, senior vice president and general manager of Right Management, a Philadelphia-based outplacement firm. "It would take longer to search at that level than if you were seeking a more mid- or lower-level role."

For executives of all ages and levels, though, search time is affected by other factors, say counselors. These include how much effort you put into it and how you find job leads. Those who rely primarily on the Internet and don't do a lot of networking generally take longer than those who beat the bushes for information about opportunities.

Being flexible about your future work location, salary and title also may speed your search because you'll usually qualify for more openings. (Keep in mind, however, you might run into issues of being viewed as overqualified if you apply for lower level positions.) Additionally, employment demand in your industry or field and whether you're changing careers also often influence search lengths.

A recent study of 434 male and female job seekers between June 2004 and November 2005 suggests that older job seekers don't need much more time to land new positions than younger ones. Here's how job hunters' age, search length and pay level correlated in the study:

Age Category
Average base salary in prior job
Average time to find new position in months

35-40
$83,450
5.00

41-45
123,461
4.96

46-50
125,161
5.51

51-55
115,100
6.33

56-60
96,444
5.94

61+
94,600
6.13

All (Average age 50.2)
112,552
5.62


The study shows that, overall, it took job hunters one month of searching for every $20,000 they earned in annual salary in their former jobs.

Will you have the same experience? Perhaps not. Consider that half of the candidates in the study were health-care executives and professionals, and each job hunter found a new job. These candidates received personalized resume, networking, and interviewing advice and other outplacement assistance until they were hired, says Mr. Jones. Most found new positions paying as much or more than they previously earned.

Job hunters who don't receive this type of aid may not have the same results, says Mr. Jones, who has been in outplacement consulting for 23 years.

"It tells you what sort of expectation people should have if they do [their job hunting] right and well," says Mr. Jones.

But some older job seekers believe that age is the primary obstacle in their searches. Alan Barris, a 61-year-old senior vice president of Union Solutions Inc., a software provider in Chester, N.Y., has been seeking a senior technology position for about a year because of the lack of advancement opportunities at his company.

"My age has to be a factor based on the responses I've received," he says. He's sent resumes and gone on interviews and hasn't heard back. Mr. Barris is seeking a senior operations or sales position and says he has found networking difficult. Most of his leads have come from posting his resume on Internet sites.

Answer 2

depends on the job, the person, the company and the position open.

If you are 50 and only sit all day.... and the job requires running jumping and stooping.... you probably won't get it. If you only have a GED and are applying for a degreed position, I don't think it will happen.

There are upsides that can be used though. At your age ( unless you're just different) your child-care issues are behind you so you won't be taking time off for that. You can work longer stranger hours than people with encumbrances.
At 50 you have a wealth of personal knowledge that used in many positions.......
So, good luck in you search........ let us know who it goes.!

Answer 3

I don't see why not and if the company uses this as a reason for not hiring the person then it's a good case of job discrimination.

Answer 4

50 isn't considered old anymore at all. Of course you can apply for a job. Not only that, but you can work.

Answer 5

Yes,why not. You have to be open minded because alot of your supervisors will be younger than you.Just have a positive attitude and smile.

Answer 6

Yes. If you are in the US, we have anti-age discrimination laws. Technically you cannot be refused employment because of your age.

Answer 7

yes, of course.depends o the job you wanna apply for.

Answer 8

yes