April 12, 2006

        Are you sixty, yet?

        Are you going to be soon?

        Well, you can forget about getting a job.   I have been looking for a job for two full years and cannot find one.

        For a while, I just thought it was me...   You know - Dick's a little strange and all that, which is true, but before, it was an asset.   But I have since learned that it wasn't just me.

        Now, we're not talking about Death of a Salesman, here.   We're not talking about salesmen who were fired because the territory that they developed could be managed cheaper by screwing them and splitting the territory among people who would do it cheaper.   We're talking about EVERYBODY who wants a job other than greeting people at the local K-Mart.   This is about most people near or over 60 in the US of A.

        Doing scientific research about this is very hard, but since I was spending only half my day looking for a job, and still being a journalist of some worth, I decided to get on the phone and get out into the highways and by-ways and look for some answers.   At the end, I was depressed and saddened.

        Not one of the men and women of the thousands (it's been a year and a half) I talked to was able to find a job in which they had the least bit of experience.   In EVERY case, they had been told that they were out of the loop of new developments, which, of course, is utter rubbish because the world may turn fast, but it doesn't turn that fast.

        Now, mind you, like me, these people had been proven over and over again to have what it takes to think out of the box and create now concepts.   These people were not stones or pathetic.   Their age was, in most cases not a factor.   These were vibrant, able, healthy people who only looked old on paper.

        What is most depressing is that the Federal Government is the biggest cheat of all.   If there is a dodge of ageism in America that is easiest to find, it is Civil Service.   Again, I'm not talking about the Palmetto state.   We all know that it's political here, although there were a couple of times..   Anyway, the point is that in business and in Federal service, if you're too old, it's too bad.

        These morons, for so they are in the Human Resource world, look only at numbers, which is stupid on the face of it.   They rely on factors which have little or nothing to do with the actual person who is seeking a job.

        If I am wrong, I apologize.   But I'm not wrong.   I have the numbers.   I have the figures.   I have the answers.

        In the olden days, before the stupidity of thinking computers could solve any but the most basic human relations demands came in, old people were valued for their experience - wisdom that infused them with knowledge and understanding - they knew where the bumps in the road were.   They didn't have to re-invent the wheel every 20 years or so.   They knew the difference between manure and shinola.   Look how long the young turks have been trying to get rid of Rumsfeld, who is smarter and more esperienced.

        There is, also, an interesting statistic that shows people over 55 will save money in the long run by not making the same stupid mistakes younger, smarter young people make.

        Now, I know a lot of people read this column.   Remember this, those of you who are in positions of power, for every old fart you hire: YOU WILL SAVE 10 TO 20 THOUSAND DOLLARS A YEAR IN SCREWUPS AVOIDED.   So hire an old guy or gal.   You may pay more in medical, but you'll save a lot more in the end.   The vibrancy of youth has always been a lie.   Particularly when you are young.

        Dick Anderson