Insight

“Does age matter?” is a question extremely close to the hearts of mature candidates who are 40 years old and above. This is especially true if they have lost their jobs or feel that their career advancement has come to a stand still. The cost of living is running higher and life expectancy is getting longer, many people are not sure if they can stay employed until they reach the retirement age of 62. 

The Singapore Government has taken the lead to ensure that people are recruited based on merit rather than other factors like age.  Fifty-nine Ministries and Statutory Boards in Singapore gathered to sign the Employers' Pledge of Fair Employment Practices on 12 April 2007. One of the five key principles of the fair employment practices is:-

Recruit and select employees on the basis of merit, such as skills, experience and ability, regardless of age, race, gender, religion or family status.

In other words, what our mature candidates should worry about is not their age, but sharpening their skills in order to stay employed.

Different type of jobs requires different type of skills, experience and ability. Some jobs will better fit those people who are more matured and experienced while some will fit those people who are less experienced but more energetic and more agile. Take tea as an analogy. Pu-er tea is fermented tea, it ages well, the more mature is the tea, and the higher is its price. For Pu-er tea made in 1930s, it carries a staggering price tag of SGD 150,000. Unlike other teas such as jasmine which lose their fragrance with time. It is best to consume them when they are still green.

In the IT industry, there are a quite a few well recognized skill sets/experience/ability which carry a very high price tag too. These skills have to be “earned” over time with relevant job experience. Just like the taste and aroma of the Pu-er tea improves as it matures, the followings also take time to build up and improve:-

-          Vertical/specialized industries know how

-          Solution Architecting skill for extremely complex enterprises   

-          Enterprise Solution Selling skills

-          Regional Sales and Business Development Experience

-          People Management Skill

-          Top Line and Bottom Line Management Skill 

-          US GAAP experience; especially in the areas like SOP 97-2 (for IT firms)

For candidates who are careful with their career should start planning at the soonest so that they can acquire these skills at the earliest possible time frame. In return, they can have even more time to plan ahead and achieve even more in their career and other aspects of life when they mature.   

Pu-er tea disc is very fragile and it loses its value once it is broken or spoiled. Likewise, candidates will lose their value if they are not careful with the planning and building of their career over time. A “beautiful” CV with great track records plus continuous promotion/progress every few years reflects very well on the candidates’ ability to plan and build their career over the long haul. On the other hand, a “broken” CV with very choppy experience reflects otherwise.  

Recently, I had placed a few senior candidates who are well above 45 years old. They are not only outstanding in terms of track record and experience but they look much fitter and healthier than their age.

Based on my observations and past experience, it is especially hard for an Enterprise Sales person to keep fit as they age. Stress is the main culprit. Within half a year,  a sales person will be fired if they do not meet their target and the tolerance period is getting shorter and shorter.  Not to mention that long hours of work including time spent on bonding with partners and customers through activities like wining and dining. Alcohol is very toxic. So, I asked my Enterprise Sales friend to share some health tips with me. He told me that he is very careful with his diet. He eats very light when he is not entertaining. Also, no matter how busy he is, he will still find time to jog at least two times a week to relieve his stress and get rid of the toxins. Even at the age of over 45 years old, he can still complete a half marathon run without much problem.

Last but not least, whether you are aged 40 years old or below, we have to eat carefully, exercise regularly, plan our career prudently and stay healthy. Actually, 40s is our prime time and it is just the mid way to 62.  Even if we have any midlife crisis, we can still change course and re-plan a new career from scratch. Hope all of you can mature gracefully as the clock continues ticking.