Orange County Employment Lawyers Blog
Age discrimination is an expanding problem for baby boomers, according to the National Federal of Independent Business.
A California age discrimination lawsuit may be a possibility if you are an individual who was discriminated against on the basis of your age.
The job market has been difficult for employees of all ages but older workers find themselves out of work at a significant rate.
The oldest of the baby boomer generation are now in their 60s. Often employers who are older experience age discrimination in two distinction areas. Those areas are: layoffs and hiring.
In regard to layoffs some employers may attempt to cut costs by laying off the higher earning members of their staff. The employer may then replace those workers with younger workers who have less experience and will work for less money.
Although an employer may claim the purpose for the layoffs is to cut salary expenses – it is possible that the real reason for the lay-off is age discrimination. This can be the case because there is almost always a correlation between someone’s salary level and their age.
In hiring practices an older would-be employee may experience age discrimination during their job search. This can be an extremely frustrating experience for an older job seeker.
It is sometimes more difficult to prove age discrimination at the hiring stage when compared with layoffs but the argument can certainly still be made. When an employer rejects a potential candidate they often cite many reasons.
Generic phrases such as “a more qualified candidate was selected” can be disputed by learning about the other candidates that were rejected/hired and their qualifications.
An older job-seeker may be able to reach the interview stage by submitting a resume that has been carefully drafted to not give clues as to the age of the candidate.
A job candidate can do this by citing the college they attended without providing the dates the degree was earned.
A slightly older job-seeker may also choose to limit the experience portion of their resume to 20 years and save earlier experience as talking points for any potential interviews.
A resume should be used to provide pertinent information regarding the qualifications of a job candidate and not as a vehicle to discover information such as race, sex, and age.
If you are a baby boomer and your resume gets your foot in the door for an interview the next step is to interview well. Strong first impressions are key.
Some older job seekers are resorting to dressing more youthfully, dying their hair, and changing other styles.
These changes should not be necessary but baby boomers are learning what older generations have learned before them. Age discrimination is a real problem in the workplace and changes in attitudes are needed.
Costa Mesa employment lawsuits can be filed with the help of the Nassiri Law Group, practicing in Orange County, Riverside and Los Angeles. Call 949.375.4734.
Additional Resources:
Dollar General Stores to Pay $47,000 to Settle EEOC Disability Discrimination Lawsuit, Oct. 23, 2013, Press Release, EEOC
More Blog Entries:
California Wage and Hour Lawsuits May be Prompted by New Minimum Wage Law, Oct. 12, 2013, Orange County Wage and Hour Lawyer Blog