Arzola

Business administration

Valued Contributor

Are older people the best for starting businesses?

Today I went to an interview in a business that started recently.

They were looking for a person who could help them get a good share of the market. However, they told me that although my CV was practically perfect for them, they resented my age, as they thought I would not be able to keep up with innovations or understand how they do things.

I answered that experience is an unparalleled value, that I can avoid possible problems and have a more orderly and better start, which would be reflected in better sales and a more solid company.

However, they simply told me that they would call me.. (we all know that's a "thank you for coming")

For what I am interested in knowing the opinion of the war room, do you think that hiring people with a lot of experience is good for a company that is starting or, on the contrary, is it better to give "emerging talent" a chance?

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25 comments

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Fenderbaum

Politicker

6

Retired Choirboy🪕

There's plenty you can do to shed light on this company. What they did was illegal. In California, the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity is a simple start.

Arzola

Valued Contributor

3

Business administration

Thank you very much for the advice, however without proof it is complicated, it is my word against theirs.However, I'll explore my options, thank you very much.

Fenderbaum

Politicker

3

Retired Choirboy🪕

I realize that as well, but for your own satisfaction, it might make you feel a bit better. You may be one of many to file a complaint against the company. Or... send 'em a glitter bomb!

Arzola

Valued Contributor

1

Business administration

the bomb saound great, but no, hahaha...but it tempts

Pachacuti

Politicker

4

They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy

"Emerging talent" is cheaper, expendable, and probably fits in better with their corporate start-up culture vision. They want someone who will work 10-12 hours/day and then go out for drinks - then do it again the next day.

I'd say you dodged a bullet.

Arzola

Valued Contributor

3

Business administration

It is a very good point of view, I had not thought about it but possibly you are 100% right

CKamapguy

Fire Starter

1

Sales Director

Agree 100 percent

Sunbunny31

Politicker

3

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

Are you based in the US? This is illegal in this country, but I'm not sure if you are talking about a US company.

Arzola

Valued Contributor

0

Business administration

No, it's not an American company, so I feel like the most I could do is just share my story.

Sunbunny31

Politicker

2

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

Right, which means, depending on where you are, that the questions you were asked may have been legal, if abhorrent.

So all the answers regarding the legality of the questions may not apply.

Arzola

Valued Contributor

0

Business administration

True, but discrimination continues, whether legal or not

JDialz

Politicker

3

Chief Operating Officer

There’s a direct correlation between success ratios for tech startups with age (idk about other sectors) that levels off at about age 40.

Arzola

Valued Contributor

2

Business administration

positive or negative correlation? I mean the older (40) the higher the rate of success or failure?

JDialz

Politicker

1

Chief Operating Officer

Positive correlation - but I was off by a decade +. Success ratios begin to wane in the late 50s, not 40. Here’s an infographic from a Wharton article about an MIT et al study. Also, HBR article from a year prior by the study’s authors. Enjoy!

Wharton: https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/age-of-successful-entrepreneurs/

MIT/Kellogg/USCB: https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/faculty/jones-ben/htm/Age%20and%20High%20Growth%20Entrepreneurship.pdf

Harvard Biz Review: https://hbr.org/2018/07/research-the-average-age-of-a-successful-startup-founder-is-45

jefe

Arsonist

3

🍁

Age-ism is real, and unfortunate.

I don't think there's a 'rule' either way. I've met some very tenured folks that were awful, and some young guns are amazing. And vice versa.

Older people DO cost more though

mrosales

Politicker

2

AE

Highly unfortunate.

Arzola

Valued Contributor

0

Business administration

certainly

Arzola

Valued Contributor

0

Business administration

Yes, however usually age come with knowledge

TennisandSales

Politicker

2

Head Of Sales

so first off im pretty sure it is illegal for them to tell you they wont hire you because of your age. so take that for what its worth haah.

and i would always take experience when it comes to starting out.

But you need the right kind of experience. You need to have done what they WANT to do already. that is super helpful.

i feel like you are being discriminated against, which sucks.

Arzola

Valued Contributor

2

Business administration

I totally agree, I feel discriminated against, however starting a legal process without "proof" since the interview was never recorded does not make sense.

However, it helped me to be able to tell that brief story and give a space so that other people who lived through this situation can tell it or perhaps tell me what they did.

As it is clear in the idea of the post, that they share their experience with me hehe

TennisandSales

Politicker

2

Head Of Sales

yeah very true. idk if legal action would make sense. sorry you had to deal with that and thanks for sharing your story

Arzola

Valued Contributor

0

Business administration

my absolute pleasure and u for lisen

Coastal_crusher

Politicker

2

Sales Director

Age does not equal wisdom. I once Sat side by side a fellow AE much older than I making twice the base. He couldn’t put a forecast together to save his life

Arzola

Valued Contributor

1

Business administration

HAHAHA, obviously there are exceptions, but normally the older you are the more experience you have and that generally brings wisdom.

WhoDey

Opinionated

0

VP of Sales

Ummm...that's illegal. I wouldn't want to work for a company like that.

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