Saulius does not hide that he sent over 100 resumes (Latin curriculum vitae, CV), but was invited to just a few job interviews, according to a press release.
It is true that Saul is in a much better position than many others who face age discrimination. The man has accumulated a considerable financial reserve, owns his own store and has a solid investment portfolio.
“I don’t want a job for the money, it’s enough for me, but for the activity. I don’t really want to retire yet. A few years ago, I started exercising every day and changed my diet. My physical shape today is probably better than ever. I want socialization, challenges and that daily communication in solving business problems, because I know that I know how to do it and do it well”, says the interviewer.
Pexels.com photo/Job interview
– Tell us about yourself and your experience. What was your career and business path?
– I met my future employer when I was about 21 years old. While I was still studying, I got a job in a distribution company and worked there all the time. First as a specialist, then as a manager. When I joined, it was a company of just a few wives with only one well-known brand client. Later, under my leadership, the company grew to a million-dollar turnover of a team of about a dozen people. We have also attracted more prominent clients, including global names.
I am a salesman by blood. It is easy for me to communicate, to get contact. I like psychology, philosophy, it’s easy for me to unlock a person. This apparently hindered my career upward. One day the owner of the company saw that I was doing well and offered me a management position. After that, I quickly became the head of the entire company and held that position for almost 30 years before I realized it was time to move on.
– Wasn’t it hard to say goodbye to a company you’ve dedicated almost 3 decades to?
– It was, but I prepared for it both financially and morally. The process of exiting the company took a long time, involving the handing over of work and the completion of projects I had started, including the digitization of business systems.
For the first six months, I believed that I would find a job very quickly, because I have qualifications, I understand the hiring of employees, organizational processes, etc. Then I started planning my businesses. One of the ideas was a bakery. But when calculated, the profitability of all of them turned out to be inadequate for the effort and payback period. So, I decided to do it myself. I read a lot, started doing sports every day, although I did not avoid active activities until then, I changed my diet a little. Today my sugar and cholesterol levels are like an 18 year old.
During this time, I also created passive income streams. I think that just as a person must wash himself, so must he invest, because both of these things are simply hygiene.
I have a shop, I have invested in corporate bonds. Also stocks that are part growth and part dividend. All told, my income is now significantly higher than when I was a hired manager. But money is not everything.
Vida Press photo/A guy is waiting for a job interview
– You’ve mentioned that you used to avoid hiring older people yourself. Maybe you remember a specific case?
– Once a very experienced commercial manager came to work with us. I immediately understood that he knows the business inside and out, knows everything. He was close to 50 years old, and I was maybe 35 at the time. I looked at his CV and threw it aside, because I didn’t need a highly skilled and qualified specialist. We needed a person for the position of a junior specialist, who would go to the stores, check the placement of goods, clean the dust from the stands, etc. This does not require the competencies of a manager. Therefore, I did not accept that person. But I think that such work would not be interesting and satisfying for him either.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve employed quite a few older people, we’ve had warehouse workers and drivers in their 60s. But their positions corresponded to the qualifications.
Now the roles seem to have reversed, I myself am overqualified.
– What positions are you applying for?
– I sent the very first CV to a car trading company. However, I never received an invitation to an interview. Then I saw that the company had chosen a much younger person for the position.
Generally speaking, I mainly apply for CEO, sales managers and related positions because these are my competencies. While I understand what it means to be a CEO, how much responsibility and responsibilities are involved. To be honest, I’d be happy to leave some responsibilities to others. I would see myself, for example, in the role of a sales manager.
– How many CVs have you sent and how many invitations to job interviews have you received during that time?
– The employment service requires sending at least 13 CVs per month. I’ve been sending around 15-18 for about a couple of years now. During this period, I have been to maybe 10 job interviews.
I was a finalist in practically all competitions, but we never got around to signing the employment contract. Here, I applied for the position of head of the Risk Supervision Department in one bank and found myself in a very similar situation as when I rejected the candidacy of a commercial manager with too much experience. I come to a conversation where two young ladies, about 25 years old, are sitting somewhat surprised, and the following conversation takes place:
“The employees will be in 20 years, will you be able to lead such a young team”, asks one of the girls.
“Half of the staff of the company I managed before were twenty-somethings, whom I recruited and trained myself, so I think I will be able to do it,” I say.
“But it will be a humiliation for you,” the interlocutor said.
I say: “I understand, I called you of my own free will.”
“But your qualifications are too high,” HR specialists point out.
That’s how the conversation ended. Although maybe it’s for the better. Judging by the job description, I would quickly get tired of filing papers there. In general, I now think that maybe it’s for the best, that I have time and opportunity to reflect on certain things and take care of myself and my family.
123RF.com photo/Exercise
– What was usually the main reason for potential employers to choose another candidate?
– Not everyone makes those arguments. But they were different. In one place, German was lacking, in another, the competences were too high, others required an engineering diploma, etc. Although I don’t think that the manager needs to know technical things, he doesn’t connect pipes. He must know management and have a team he can consult with.
– A common reason for not hiring older people is a lack of IT skills. And what is the situation with your IT knowledge?
– I wouldn’t say that my skills are very strong – I can’t program, but I know household IT things, I use a computer and business programs regularly, I also understand the advantages of modern company systems. I remember when we needed to migrate business systems from one supplier to another. The supplier at that time could not help us, we had to dig deep ourselves and we did.
– Have you felt discriminated against because of your age during interviews?
– Discrimination really exists and it manifests itself mostly in ignoring. Older people are simply not invited to job interviews, even though their qualifications ideally match the position. Relatives suggested to me not to indicate the age in the CV. But I have certain principles, so I will not hide my age.
Our situation is strange. In the West, people aged 50-55 are the most valuable, because they have accumulated the most experience, but are still relatively young and have gunpowder. At that time, many businesses in Lithuania today are run by young people. This has been the case since the 90s of the last century, when large Soviet companies were left to be managed by old trustees who do not know how to do business in the conditions of a market economy, and all new businesses were created by the hands of young people and remained in them. Maybe that’s why we have the cult of youth.
