I am not the type of person to "retire." I am healthy and I always jokingly state that I will work until the day I die.
However, this creates a dilemma, because employers seem to be getting more and more creative with age discrimination. I recently filled out an application asking my birthdate that used a drop-down list that did not include the year of my birth. The only way to continue was to choose the oldest date on the list. Has anyone encountered this? By the way, the oldest date was not that old. I don't want to lie, but I am over 21 and an adult, so what does it matter? I did not apply to a heavy manual labor job, in which case, I could see the point. Any thoughts? Is this even legal? USA
Dede Roan
Educator
92
07/31/21 at 4:52PM UTC
I agree that unfair practices like that should be reported. It's also important to find people you will want to work with and who value you as well as your skills and experience. I believe that some shared values are important at work.
PATRICIA COOPERBusiness Development Entrepreneur
49
07/31/21 at 3:55PM UTC
Agree with comments below - this is illegal and PLEASE report them! Plus why would you want to work for a company that is 'ageism' concerned?!
JYJ
6.75k
07/31/21 at 3:34PM UTC
It is illegal. Please report them to your state labor board.
Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist
21.99k
07/31/21 at 5:31AM UTC
No - that's illegal. REPORT THEM.
Reet Ari
71
07/30/21 at 4:18PM UTC
The application should not be asking for your DOB. Start there- report them to your state DOL.
Margrit PatelTechnology Program Management in New York
187
07/30/21 at 2:39PM UTC
Asking for age as part of an application is not legal unless there is a requirement to be 21 an over. Even in those cases, the application could simply ask that instead of trying to capture the exact birth year. Stay away from an employer like that.
Sue Gordon- retired Career Coach
3.27k
07/30/21 at 1:22PM UTC
This isn't legal, unless there is some age requirement for the type of work- such as bartender and you need to be 21. Or law enforcement. Those are few examples. Otherwise, no. Not legal. Take this as a sign.
And, BTW, you don't have to include the years you graduated from high school, college or grad school on your resume, just that you have the degree....
Leslie A StrazzulloGlobal Marketing & Cross-Cultural Expert
1.09k
07/30/21 at 12:50PM UTC
I don't know if this is legal or not in the USA. If I were you, I would take this as a sign . Don't apply to this company.
