Tuesday, 18 October 2011

Should we put our age on application forms?

It jumped out at me on the Equal Opportunities Monitoring form on my job application:

Age......years.

Oh bollocks.

It's a charity, they won't discriminate but oh bollocks, they might think I'm too old for the role particularly when they look at all my previous experience. My years and years of other experience and then of course years and years of "nothing". It's that "nothing" that gives me a chance...the same chance as an unemployed graduate...who will think someone who's older might get it, someone with more experience.

Then this morning Google won't let Stigmum into blogspot unless she gives her date of birth. What? No! Google wouldn't let us through though.

I had to make it up didn't I? I mean, Google would never believe that Stigmum is over 200 years old. We put that she, I, was just over 100.

The Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form did state: "If you do not answer these questions, it will not effect your application."

That's alright then...


4 comments:

Jennysmith said...

Poor Stig. Hope it goes okay

Stigmum said...

Thanks, will let you know x

Anonymous said...

Oh, you're kidding me..but you're not are you. Oh, I loathe those sorts of questions about one's age...and the inevitable question why do you have lots of experience followed by 'blank' of not much. I loathe the sense of overwhelming sense of judgement that you feel about yourself - as if you're a failure when in reality you're not at all.

Stigmum said...

Many companies (though not lone parent charities!) see the years spent caring for children as a 'blank'. They don't see the transferable skills, they see only that you don't have recent experience of whatever it is they are looking for.
The system makes many people, not just lone parents, but many unemployed, feel like a failure.
I do have my days, admittedly, when I feel I am one and it is through this that I defend those that might feel the same.
You are right, none of us are failures and I'm glad you hate questions about age too because it means you understand what I'm saying!!
Many many unemployed (even though I'm not unemployed) feel judged and that is the price we pay for being paid for. Not all sections of society judge us of course, but definitely our ruling party.