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> those 3500 recipients could not have known that you're 41 A likely-accurate age estimate is easily discernible for applicants who follow the common practice

> those 3500 recipients could not have known that you're 41 A likely-accurate age estimate is easily discernible for applicants who follow the common practice of putting their education history with graduation dates. A much rougher estimate is also possible with nothing more than specific technologies. You can do pretty well with employment history as well -- and I'd suspect that many among hiring managers or HR staff quickly develop a profile (consciously or not) that rules out both inadequate experience AND experience that feels too scattered or too long. There could also be other factors, of course. Timing can be an issue. I've heard stories of people applying for hundreds of jobs (who were getting hundreds of applicants per open position) during the 2001-2003 bust. I wouldn't be surprised if it were the same thing in 2009 (though I found 2009 was a great time to be contracting -- businesses still wanted stuff done, they just didn't want the liability of an FTE on the books). And there's always the possibility that the GP was simply not matched to the job, but it's not the foregone conclusion you seem to be assuming. > I remember plenty of "old" guys doing this kind of IT stuff. Most of the people I remember working with have health insurance, too, so naturally not having health insurance has rarely been a problem for working people. (Which is an indirect way of saying: survivorship bias! The existence of companies that employ workers over 30/40/50 is positive to observe for anyone who'd like to make software/IT their career as long as possible, but the figure that'd probably matter most would be the relative hire rates among different age groups.)

lproven 9y ago
Exactly so. I have tried most things. I removed all the dates from my CV. No difference; a minimally intelligent pimp can add up. Degree, that's 3y; 3y in this role, 2y in that role, 2 years there, 16y freelancing... This dude is old. So I removed the early junior jobs from my career history. Result, I got quizzed on how I walked straight into senior roles straight out of university. So I left out some gaps in the timeline (I've freelanced quite a lot) -- and got curious about the specific tech I'd worked with in particular roles. Deploying Windows NT Server 3.1, or managing a migration from DECnet to TCP/IP, dates you. You can fool the idiots, sure. But then your CV gets passed to non-idiots. I don't advertise a DoB any more, nor dates of education, but I do give the years of my various permie jobs. It's easier to just be honest. If they're ageist, as many are, then you can't lie or BS your way past that.
- Latteland 9y ago
  It's terrible that you haven't gotten a job or any attention. I still think there's something on your resume that might be affecting this. I am in my early 50s and I had no problem getting my last job. But it might be because I have several degrees in CS and experience at leading companies. My resume does list the year I graduated from college and the time at the company's but I had thought of retracting that for my resume in case there was ageism but I didn't see that. I'm an engineer and not in it / support staff so maybe that's part of my advantage. I wish I could see your resume and then I could maybe offer some advice.

lproven 9y ago

Exactly so. I have tried most things. I removed all the dates from my CV. No difference; a minimally intelligent pimp can add up. Degree, that's 3y; 3y in this role, 2y in that role, 2 years there, 16y freelancing... This dude is old. So I removed the early junior jobs from my career history. Result, I got quizzed on how I walked straight into senior roles straight out of university. So I left out some gaps in the timeline (I've freelanced quite a lot) -- and got curious about the specific tech I'd worked with in particular roles. Deploying Windows NT Server 3.1, or managing a migration from DECnet to TCP/IP, dates you. You can fool the idiots, sure. But then your CV gets passed to non-idiots. I don't advertise a DoB any more, nor dates of education, but I do give the years of my various permie jobs. It's easier to just be honest. If they're ageist, as many are, then you can't lie or BS your way past that.

Latteland 9y ago
It's terrible that you haven't gotten a job or any attention. I still think there's something on your resume that might be affecting this. I am in my early 50s and I had no problem getting my last job. But it might be because I have several degrees in CS and experience at leading companies. My resume does list the year I graduated from college and the time at the company's but I had thought of retracting that for my resume in case there was ageism but I didn't see that. I'm an engineer and not in it / support staff so maybe that's part of my advantage. I wish I could see your resume and then I could maybe offer some advice.