Are you upset if your interviewer is younger than you?

I wouldn’t say upset. However, I’ve dealt with interviews by group members. Obviously some might be around the same age or a little bit younger.

I have been interviewed by someone who was immature. That’s more important to me than strict age. One time I was interviewed by someone pretty new, who was extremely nervous because it was the first time. I had to calm down my interviewer.
 
I didn't see the details of the original post but as someone who had to supervise a worker that had serious issues with the fact that I was younger than him (and female, but that's another issue) that is a headache you don't want. This guy actually accused us of pulling a bait and switch on him since the manager that interviewed him was much older and retired almost immediately after hiring him. The new manager and I were both much younger than him and he thought it was completely disrespectful of us to tell him what to do since he was our "elder." This includes things like 1. come to work on time, 2. come to work, period, 3. follow procedures, 4. don't make a mess in the bathroom (seriously). He was an absolute nightmare to deal with.
 
^^ That person was the problem, not you. No one is guaranteed the person who hires them will always be their boss. People retire/get promoted/change jobs laterally/leave the company so any number of combinations is possible. If the person was 'older', he should already have known that LONG before you hired him. Sounds like he has had 'issues' no matter where he worked.
 
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^^ That person was the problem, not you. No one is guaranteed the person who hires them will always be their boss. People retire/get promoted/change jobs laterally/leave the company so any number of combinations is possible. If the person was 'older', he should already have known that LONG before you hired him. Sounds like he have had 'issues' no matter where he worked.

Oh yeah, he was a walking, talking "issue." When he finally left (we weren't allowed to fire him, there's a long story to how we finally managed to get rid of him), the morale of the department went up 150% overnight.
 
That wouldn't bother me....but on a tangent, I have been a little unnerved when my doctor looked younger than my teenage children. I mean, I got over it, but I can't say that it didn't cross my mind to be a little concerned that my doctor looked like he was 15.

J-
 
I'm in my early 50s. I was wasting away professionally at a job that I believed in, but with a boss who shouldn't have been a boss. Thanks to a former coworker working at a different organization with a job opening that was perfect for me, I got my resume in front of my now supervisor, who is 10 years younger than I am. I guess I put my ego aside a long time ago, but I love my job, and I have no problem working for and with her. And our department is run by someone younger than both of us. Quite frankly, I feel fortunate to work at an organization that recognizes the value and contributions of professionals of all ages and demographics. I love my job and am recognized for my contributions. That wasn't happening under my former, older boss. It's all a matter of perspective.
 


No, I would not be bothered. I went back to work "at a real job" in my 40's and was in a very entry level position. In addition to the person who interviewed and hired me, just about every supervisor was younger than I was. Much of the managerial team was younger than I was. Many of my coworkers were younger. In terms of skills set, I was not even in their league. I did not even know what I did not know, so I took advantage of all their eagerness to share with me. As I progressed in that company, I noticed that the people who were the least likely to succeed were those who were most resistant to taking direction from younger people. I also thought that they were the folks who needed the job the most.

If I came across a potential employee who was balking over age differences during the interview process, I would never move that person beyond that point. Anyone who equates knowledge and skill with age rather than experience, is not welcomed IMO. Would this even be a question if a woman interviewed a man? Bias is bias, and has no place in the workplace.
 
I've been in the same company for 19 years. I didn't want to go into management, and at my company there was no "technical path", so you got stuck at a certain level.

So at least one of my bosses was younger than me and had been in the company less time. I was kind of irritated, but at the same time, I really didn't want to deal with the stuff had had to deal with.

(I bit the bullet and started transitioning into management this year).

So if change companies at this point, It's incredibly likely I would be interviewed by somebody younger than me. I think I'd be ok with it, depending on the age gap. Like if my interviewer was in their early to mid 20's, I'd probably be a little uncomfortable. I mean, how much experience can a 24 year old have in managing, right?
 
At my age I expect an interviewer would be younger than me. My manager is about 20 years younger than me. It doesn't bother me.
 
So if change companies at this point, It's incredibly likely I would be interviewed by somebody younger than me. I think I'd be ok with it, depending on the age gap. Like if my interviewer was in their early to mid 20's, I'd probably be a little uncomfortable. I mean, how much experience can a 24 year old have in managing, right?

I think this tends to be the issue. Most people assume older = more experienced. But often that is not the case. My DH works in nursing and there are tons of people who have gone back to school later in life. So, it's entirely possible that the 24 year old nurse has several years more experience than the 54 year old nurse.

Another problem is assuming you can guess someone's age. Everyone believes that DH looks like he's still in his 20s. When he took his most recent management position there were a few people who commented and were annoyed that they were giving the job to "someone fresh out of college". When they realized he has 20 years of experience in this field (more than any of them), they changed their attitude. Some do still think he's much younger and have been completely confused by the fact that our daughter also works at the hospital. DD finds it hilarious to see people try to wrap their mind around the idea that a "20-something-year-old" can have an adult daughter... "Wait, that Mr. Tzolkin? He's your dad? Are you sure we're talking about the same Mr. Tzolkin? I thought he was like 25." And then once they accept that it's true they have to go around telling everyone, "Hey, did you know that she is Mr. Tzolkin's DAUGHTER? Didn't you think he was way younger?"
 
Question is, would you have an issue with your interviewer being younger than you?

Edited to omit specifics as recommended.

My boss is younger than me. She didn't interview me but the person who did was also younger. I don't really give it much thought. However, I look a lot younger than I am so that might have something to do with it.
 
Last job interview I had with an interviewer being older than me was in 1989.
I guess it depends on your industry. Mine is an industry that has evolved from where you used to work your way up in a variety of jobs in the company to being a manager to now there are basically professional managers with limited experience in any job in our company. Their job skill is being a manager.
Our big boss is 35 years old, so about 13 years out of college. When I was 13 years out of college I was still the youngest and least experience person in my job classification, and I was 20 years younger than any manager.
Mine is also an industry where it is very common for employees to be hired right out of college now, and also very common for them to decide to get out of the industry before age 30.
 
Eh, my boss is younger then me. His boss is younger then me too. It didn’t stop me from getting my job. Sounds like the guy had other issues. Be glad you don’t have to deal with him at work.
 
I don't know why anyone would really worry about a boss being older. Some people don't aspire towards management, while some are specifically trained (especially with college degrees) to be in a management track.

Look at the military. Officers in the United States these days are exclusively college educated. A friend of mine who was ex-Army would talk about being there with 8 years experience, and a "butter bar" (2nd Lt) straight out of OCS would be giving orders with no direct experience.
 
My 2 previous bosses have been younger than me. Never bothered me. My current boss is my age, and the rest up the line are also my age.

It was about 10 years ago that I was having a discussion with a 21 year old coworker who commented that it was her mother’s 43rd birthday that day. I was 46 at the time.

That was a bit of an eye-opener. Not only was I old enough to be my colleague’s mother, but I was older than her actual mother.

At my age, the majority of people that I encounter at work are younger than me. It makes for a good mix of fresh ideas/new knowledge and experience. A wise boss will take advantage of that mix.
 

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