While biopharma professionals cited age discrimination as an issue in a new BioSpace report, it’s not the only factor affecting older and younger people’s job searches.
When it comes to the types of discrimination biopharma professionals believe are widespread in the industry, age-based discrimination tops the list, according to a new BioSpace report. The State of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging in Life Sciences report found that 65% of survey respondents think age-based discrimination is prevalent.
Dozens of respondents, both young and old, shared comments about being discriminated against based on how old they are. Some called out hiring issues. For example, one said they’ve had fewer job opportunities due to being over 60, while another said they believe their age and appearance were factors in not getting a position. Yet another noted they were a finalist for a role until the employer figured out their age.
Recent AARP research highlighted people’s concerns about getting hired in their later years. It found that nearly 1 in 6 adults ages 50 or older who are working or looking for work reported they were not hired for a job they applied for within the past two years because of their age. In addition, 50% noted that an employer asked them to provide their birth date during the application or interview process.
How much of an issue is ageism in biopharma, and what are the other reasons some older and younger people have trouble getting hired?
Ageism in Biopharma
Ageism—prejudice or discrimination against someone based on their age—is an issue in all industries, including biopharma, noted Teresa Wright, managing partner of NuHyr Solutions, an executive search firm. That said, she told BioSpace that ageism is not always the reason older or younger workers don’t get jobs. Sometimes, it’s due to their salary expectations or experience levels.
Michael Pietrack, managing director of pharma and biotech recruiting at Kaye/Bassman International, an executive search and recruitment firm, told BioSpace that while he’s sure ageism exists in biopharma, he hasn’t seen it and doesn’t think it’s a blatant issue.
“But I can tell you this,” he said. “Candidates—especially the candidates that are advanced in years—they’re worried about it.”
The BioSpace report backs that up. Older survey respondents were more likely to say age-based discrimination is prevalent in biopharma. For example, 53% of those who were 18 to 24 years old said it’s prevalent, compared to 70% of respondents who were 55 to 64.
One of those survey respondents is Dharma Rebecca Funder, founder and principal consultant at Mindful HR Solutions. Funder, who’s in her 50s, has an HR background and consulted for a biopharma company. She recently started a coaching mentorship business, Spiritual Dynamics Consortium, after a six-month job search was unsuccessful.
Funder told BioSpace she can’t get a job because of her age and shared an example of the challenges she’s faced. She said after she interviewed with one biopharma company, she heard through the grapevine that there was a concern she’d be too old for the team.
Funder said that not being able to get a job has been difficult, at one point making her feel worthless and defeated. She added that it’s challenging to pivot later in a career, as she’s had to do.
“When you get to the point in your life when you think that you should be starting to taper off and prepare yourself for retirement, you’re finding yourself having to reinvent yourself in order for you to find a way to be able to retire comfortably,” she said. “It’s not that easy when you’re in your 50s. It’s easier in your 30s and in your 40s, but it’s not that easy to reinvent yourself at 50.”
The Salary Issue
For older biopharma professionals struggling to get hired, ageism is not necessarily the reason. It could be because of how much money they expect to make in a new position, according to Pietrack, Wright and Steve Swan, CEO of The Swan Group, an executive recruiting firm.
Pietrack noted that when companies evaluate talent, they typically screen out anyone who’s over a set salary band, no matter their age. Wright echoed that sentiment, adding that because older professionals have a lot of experience, their salary expectations can be hefty, and they may unintentionally price themselves out of the market.
Job seekers are not the only ones affected when companies use salaries to screen out candidates. Swan told BioSpace that if businesses try to save money by hiring people with just a few years of experience, those employees might not have the knowledge the organization needs, which could lead to issues later.
“You can pay the 29-year-old to get 29-year-old experience, but you can’t pay a 29-year-old to get the 56-year-old-guy experience,” Swan said.
The Experience Issue
Experience levels can also be an issue for job seekers. Some candidates who think they’re running into ageism may simply not have the amount of experience a company wants, according to Pietrack, Swan and Wright. For example, Pietrack noted that older job seekers may be overqualified for roles, while younger ones don’t have enough experience.
Regarding younger candidates, Pietrack gave an example of jobs stipulating that candidates need at least five years of experience, resulting in amazing talents who have four years not being considered for those roles.
“So, I don’t see hiring managers screening people out because they’re young,” he explained. “I just think sometimes for the function, they want someone that has certain experiences.”
Funder voiced the frustration job seekers can feel if they run into these situations during their careers. When they’re younger, they don’t have enough experience because they haven’t been in the workforce long enough, she said. “Then, when you finally get into the workforce, and you start to gain all the experience and you finally have all the experience, you are no longer considered because you are out of the loop. You are no longer up to par. You are too slow. You are needing to be paid more because you have more experience. So, you are not needed anymore.”
Advice for Older and Younger Job Seekers
Pietrack, Swan and Wright all shared advice for older and younger job seekers in the biopharma industry.
Wright recommended young candidates focus on internships and externships, do plenty of interview prep and target larger organizations, which tend to have more junior roles available than smaller companies do. Pietrack noted that these job seekers should have a realistic view of their background and need to understand they can’t leapfrog experiences to get the job they want.
“Get in a job and, over time, if you’re a person of value, you’ll continue to rise,” he said.
For older job seekers, Wright recommended targeting smaller or midsize organizations. She noted they’re hiring fewer people than large companies and will likely focus more on someone’s experience, as that will be an asset to the business.
Swan recommended older candidates don’t put the year they earned their degrees on their resumes and only include about 10 years’ worth of work history, while Pietrack advised they take pride in their career arcs.
“You should be very proud of who you are, what you’ve accomplished in your career, what you’ve seen in the industry and what you would bring to a company,” Pietrack said. “And if a company doesn’t value that, it’s almost a good thing that they screened you out, because the company that does see that value is really going to be the home that you want to be in for maybe your last job in the industry.”
Angela Gabriel is content manager, life sciences careers, at BioSpace. You can reach her at angela.gabriel@biospace.com and follow her on LinkedIn.
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