Is corporate life over at 50?

By PAULA OLIVER

It's not easy being grey.

Searching for a challenging new role can see you become immersed in the world of funky e-companies, where young, trendy urbanites frown at the ability of you and your bald head to make a useful contribution.

Prejudice against the 50-plus brigade is said by some to be alive and well.

But arguments against that perception are gathering pace in the employment world, where many people say overseas trends prove that demand for an old head in a top job is about to skyrocket.

As baby-boomers hit 50 there are fewer young people coming up to replace them. In short, they say, the country needs its grey heads.

Warwick Thompson, a 60-year-old businessman with a string of achievements and experience in multinationals, is one who says age prejudice does still exist.

Returning to New Zealand five years ago after a stint with a big oil company in Europe, Mr Thompson, a marketing and strategy executive, offered his services to the Institute of Directors.

"I was told I had enjoyed a long and fabulous career, but that it was time I stepped aside and let someone else have a go," he says. "It's peculiar to business. You wouldn't be concerned about being operated on by a grey-haired surgeon, would you?"

Mr Thompson's experience is one that human resources experts and executive recruiters say they have seen before. So why do they think the tide is turning?

A quick canvas of opinions on the age barrier produces two common threads - it's all about attitude. And the baby-boomer theory.

"There are some people over 50 who really sell themselves as old and tired. They don't go in with enthusiasm," says Reece Notton, aged 58, executive director of DBM New Zealand, a worldwide human resources consultancy specialising in "outplacement" and career management.

"They think their experience will get them the executive role, but when you put them through a dummy interview on tape, they see that they come across old."

Those people, he says, need to be better prepared. They need to work on techniques that help them to sell their experience in a way that clearly benefits the potential employer.

Knockbacks will happen. A 35-year-old with the same skill-set as a 50-year-old will win the job every time, says Denis Horner, of Horner and Partners executive search.

"The reality of it is that age is an issue. Some older workers have a lot of baggage with them, and become set in their ways. That's when they crash and burn."

Mr Horner says attitude is of utmost importance. As long as people stay dynamic, change-oriented, and remain keen to learn, they have a much better chance of success.

"If they don't have those attitudinal things they will have difficulty. But so will a 30-year-old in that position."

Both men say they can give examples of 50-plus executives getting top jobs, and that if a permanent corporate job seems out of reach, then consulting is becoming a popular and valuable option.

Over-50s can find themselves looking for a new role because they have been the victims of cost-cutting. As high earners, they are often the first to go when the axe falls, because it's easy to eliminate them and a sizeable chunk of an ailing budget at the same time.

But in doing so, companies can lose sight of what is walking out the door.

In the 1980s, Mr Horner says, a lot of young, inexperienced chiefs were at the helm of companies. The dramatic change of circumstances from boom to bust in that period demanded a wide skill-set, which many could not muster.

Mr Notton says: "We've been through cycles, and seen people come and experience go. But when things pick up again, they find the experience is not there.

"People don't know what to do.

"Maybe some of those new technology companies could have done with a bit more experience and wisdom on board," he says. "It's useful to have a wiser head to help avoid pitfalls. Pitfalls can be very, very, costly."

If attitude, experience and leadership don't win the day for a 50-something, then, very shortly, demographics will.

It is a well-known fact that New Zealand, like much of the Western world, has an ageing population.

The first of the baby-boomers are due to reach 55 this year, and a lower birth-rate in the 1970s and 80s ensures fewer replacements are emerging.

Older workers coming back into vogue is a trend that has been evident for some years in the US, Mr Notton says.

"We tend to follow those trends, albeit some three to five years down the track. There will be a need to actually utilise some of that older workforce."

And giving older heads a chance often sees the myths that accompany them crumble.

"They are far less trouble than most people imagine. They're not out partying all night and they get to work on time every day. They're reliable and most of them love handing on their knowledge.

"They can make great leaders, great decisions, and contribute a lot."