It's happening to me and it is blatant.
Report: Age Discrimination High Among Pharma Sales Reps
Age discrimination is rife among pharmaceutical job seekers, according to anecdotal evidence gathered by MedZilla, a popular jobs database for workers in the biotech, pharma, healthcare and medical sector.
According to John Burkhardt, director of operations at the company, pharma companies are increasingly hiring younger and younger employees, based on what job seekers have said.
And in the MedZilla forums, frustrations are high among older job seekers over being told that they are "too experienced" or that the company is trying to "develop younger talent."
In these cases, Burkhadt advises to consider changing sectors entirely. There is a growing need for health care jobs serving older citizens, often creating demand for more experienced salespeople who can relate better with older customers.
Another option is to go back to school to brush up on skills. As digital capabilities become more and more important in the sales profession, including the use of social networks for lead generation, or new software for organizing prospects, employers may look at older candidates as being too out of touch.
If you're an older salesperson, you would do well to make sure you're familiar with digital skills and new technologies. Being labeled a "dinosaur" just doesn't sound so pleasant.
