I Still Hope

.....that I will be seen for what I am.

.....that I will be seen for what I can do.

Not for how old I am.

I've been for a number of assessments and interviews. I'm getting the feeling that middle-aged white males are not exactly flavour of the month. One assessment in particular hurt. There were three of them. All women. All in their early thirties. Same age as my daughter. And when I looked into their faces there was no connection.

All they saw was 'dad'. I didn't progress. Most of my interviewers have been much younger than me.

I don't blame them. When I was thirty-ish I assumed people in their fifties were a bit set in their ways. I wouldn't have looked at them as promising employment material.

And in my thirties I was a manager and responsible for recruiting. Maybe I rejected people of my current age then.

Oh how wrong. How very very wrong.

I am more tolerant, more flexible than I have ever been in my life. Twenty years ago I would never have done the job I'm doing now; I would have thought it beneath me. Silly snob. I've always been resilient but now I'm positively tough.

At almost 56 my mind is more receptive that it was at 36.

At nearly 56 things don't phase me the way they did at 36.

But you only see that at 56. You don't recognise it at 36.

And do you know something. I don't feel fear the way I did twenty years ago. I would never have comprehended my current approach to life at 30 odd years of age.

And all those who are in control of recruitment? How old are they? Mostly thirties. How can they understand people in their fifties??

That's maybe a problem. Recruitment at low levels is in the hands of the wrong people??? Is it?

So I have an uphill struggle. Maybe I will get somewhere; maybe not. Many would adopt cynicism to protect themselves. With cynicism you give up. It is the ultimate excuse in my view.

I'll stick to hope.

A cynic would call that wishful thinking......and laugh. Well, maybe.

Without hope we are dead.