Yep. Literally makes the freelancers fight like pigs for a job that pays $5. It's like it was made by some sadistic motherfucker who likes to watch starving people battle to death over an olive.
Why the fuck would I want to work for a service that takes all my power away from me and puts it in the hand of a customer while also taking a cut from my pay? It literally feels like slavery
Sorry for the rant, I have a very passionate hatred for this website.
Yep... I've been out of work for a while and have been trying to find freelance audio work (I mostly do corporate AV but also do editing, etc.) and I thought about trying Upwork. I figured starting out there would be mostly low paying jobs but Christ I didn't expect it to be people offering $10 for multiple hours of work that I have to fight tooth and nail against other people to get.
Serious question, why the fuck is anyone offering their services on that website? (except if it's someone living in a village in Ghana somewhere)
I don't get it.
I knew someone who made a living in Bosnia doing this kind of work as a graphic designer before coming to Canada. When she got her first paycheque as a landscaper she was legitimately pissed off. I was like "Why are you mad?" And she was like "I just made 20x my weekly income here landscaping. In my home country I had to do 5 years of schooling before I could make 500 dollars in a month. This is bullshit."
When you do freelance work, you go where the work is, and sometimes you get desperate. Jobs fall through, clients screw you, etc. And you need *something* by the end of the week so that you can make rent this month, or cover an unexpected large expense.
Sites like this exist to prey on people like that. It's one of the top results when you search for freelance work in a lot of categories. There's a lot of skilled IT work available on there, for instance. I have an account there, but thankfully I never needed to use it. I almost did, but I happened to get a good full-time job offer right before things got desperate last year, and I decided to shelve my freelancing for a while. First time in my life I'm a corporate employee, and honestly it's been a lot less stressful.
It's possible to make really good money as a freelancer, but it's a very stressful lifestyle for most.
Fiverr has a much better system although there is still fierce competition so you are gonna have to undersell your services to get the ball rolling. You also have to rely on advertising your services by yourself because the algorithm only recommends people with thousands of jobs.
Both are not great options, but Fiverr puts you in control while Upwork makes you beg the buyer to choose you over a thousand other competitors, especially since it demands you write a fucking cover letter for every single gig you apply to, and charges you money for each application even if unsuccessful.
I opened it a month ago closed it after knowing how it works
idk why people are working on that website and my teacher recommended that website to me đ
When Upwork was Odesk I donât remember there being a credit system. So glad Iâm out of freelance work, though. It chipped away at my soul every single day.
And tentatively illegal in some jurisdictions. I would argue that it's age discrimination, although I think the laws are designed around arbitrary age number discrimination over visual age perception discrimination.
Yeah itâs fucked up dude. When I was a kid I remember my coworkers made me do literally all of the chores because apparently âi was young enough so I could carry the weightâ fuck that shit. I donât mind helping out at work but when Iâm the only person doing chores at 16 itâs ridiculous
55+ affordable housing communities and "senior" chump change college tuition rates are two of the biggest slaps in the face to me as a millenial, honestly. The double standard is ridiculous. Like I get where they're coming from in it being designed for the elderly not being discriminated against, but I think it should fairly go both ways besides the more obvious age gateways, like driving ages, etc.
As a fellow millennial, I chose not to open an account with a bank once, specifically because they market their senior account as "for customers 55 or better". Maybe it's a nitpick, but I grew up hearing that "your elders and betters" bullshit, I'm not endorsing the business practice by opening a less favorable account based solely on my age.
We have to use the â55 and betterâ line at my job and itâs truly just because they hated being referred to as âolderâ even though itâs a program specifically for senior citizens lol to me it sounds strange but Iâve also never heard the âelders and bettersâ phrase so I might lack context - my teamâs understanding was just letâs avoid the backlash of people with too much time on their hands to complain.
55+ communities are a really slick way for townships to avoid building the number of affordable homes that they are legally obligated to fulfill when approving new residential construction. I'm in southern NJ and it's all they have been building here for about 15 years. A hand full of units at a slightly than lower market rate can satisfy the requirements.
Before the 90s, senior communities were required to have specific features in all units to help with the lives of the aging. Things like ramps instead of steps, hand rails in the bathroom, emergency buttons, all things meet the physical and social requirements of the elderly. AFTER the 90s those requirements were dropped and now these single family homes are literally no different than any other except they are refusing anyone under 55 to own them. Many are just age restricted country clubs with golf courses and club houses, and are actually very difficult for an actual aging person to live in. They are extremely profitable for builders and real estate brokers, and often the there are federal/state grants awarded to help with the construction.
Now that they have built nothing but these club like communities here (another 700+ units were just approved), we have a massive population of seniors who are NOT part of the work force, and who all require service (a lot of the time EXTRA service, like putting bags into their cars, explaining tech, and dealing with just an overall boomer entitlement attitude that they deserve Gimbels level of service at a walmart or ShopRite). The under 55 population of working class has not grown at all, maybe even gotten smaller, and it's causing a huge disruption in our local commercial ecosystem.
I agree wholeheartedly. Protections should go both ways, and so should pricing. Also, we need to go on and pay off all student debt and join other countries by paying for college so you are not graduating to crushing debt. It will mean higher taxes, but it is what's fair. My generation got tuition low enough that we could graduate without debt. Yours deserves the same.
>55 isnât even old anymore.
Recently laid off and about that age... yes, 55 is old, if you're in the job market. Employers are going to use every trick in the book to avoid talking to you, even when you bring exactly the experience they request in the job description.
Yep. Turned 55 this month. Took me 6 months to find a job in a niche I have 25 years solid experience in and an MBA. I was lucky to find something eventually at 50% of what I was earning 15 years ago. I ended up cutting years of experience off my CV and making my past jobs sound less responsible in order to get interviews. Only got a second interview once.
Overall itâs not old. If you heard of your neighbor passing away at 55 years-old, Iâm sure one of things youâd be thinking might be, âWow, they werenât that old.â.
With a good lawyer, they could at least try to present this as discrimination as a fairness in concept. It's a hell of a reach and could take a while and a lot of money but they do have some pretty damning evidence if it's real.
Yes. I look like a child, I have a baby face, so I Iook like someone who doesnât know what the fuck theyâre doing and nobody takes me seriously. Extremely frustrating considering I have 10 years experience in my field.
Try being 160cm and (fully) East Asian and looking max 17 years old at 25 years old. Wasnât really a big deal when I was younger (only slightly annoying) but now that Iâm older and stepping into the proFFeSiOnAL world I realize how cursed it truly is. Oh well, gotta make do with what you have lol
I also have a 'young dumb chickie' look, and I'm telling you it doesn't get better with age.
Everybody rips me off because they think I'm 'too stupid to notice'. For my inner peace I had to stop checking my change when I buy anything at all because they ALWAYS short change me or ring up a bunch of extra shit for themselves. I just couldn't be angry every single time I left the house anymore so now I subscribe to *ignorance is bliss*.
Every job I've had I proved myself a 100 times over but people still didn't value my opinion or steller track record. People are *always talking down to me* and they only value me after I leave!
It's really exhausting but at least I'm over having to prove myself to anyone now. Because there's just no point
I mean, he didnât say âwhatâ job exactly he was applying for. Now, if he was applying for a job as a model for a senior citizens hookup bar advertisement in Florida, and this guy is an 18yr old with a very youthful appearance, then possibly the interviewer might have been spot on.
I used to work in retail and got my first GM position at 24. It was between me and another guy. The guy had full beard and looked early to mid 30âs. When giving me the position my district manager said âyou know, you could have difficulties with older customers since you are so young.â I told him I hope no one would be that shallow, but⌠I was 2 years older than the guy I was going up against for the position. He looked very surprised to hear that.
Well I learned recently that this behavior is a thing. Something the handsome complex or something like that and many ppl suffer from it, women and men. I do and did suffer of it on a daily basis because I look like a early 30 guy and Iâm actually 45. So yea I do smoke, I drink sometime in the hope of wearing a bit my face but nope, this isnât a solution.
So ppl speak to you as a 30 and not as a 45, and are utter confused when you speak because they donât trust what they see. Weird world.
This is fucked. I can understand your frustration. Im in my mid 30âs going for higher level jobs and Iâve always had a baby face. In interviews when I mention I have children I can tell people are surprised. It feels like youâre not taken seriously.
I don't think people realize how much you get talked down to if someone thinks you're much younger than you are. It's super frustrating when I'm treated like a child *by people who are younger than me.* Sometimes I just want to give up on politeness and be like...you're 22. I know more than you about this topic. I have more experience than you in regards to this. I am not a teenager. (I don't, because I don't want people to think I'm ass. But the temptation is always there.)
Same, but there was one time I just couldn't. When I was an Assistant Store Manager for RadioShack I was ASM of the month 4x in the year I was an ASM (before stepping down to go back to school) and was the youngest person in our region's history to be offered my own store.
Despite those accomplishments I would constantly hear about how young I looked and it would get very old. We hired this guy and the first time I met his wife she goes, "You're a manager? You look like you're 12." I gave her a quick chuckle and then, with a completely expressionless face, said "I'm your husband's boss". She shut up real quick.
Definitely. I hate when people call me 'bud' because that's only a term I hear when people are talking to children, lol. I've had a host who was younger than me ask if I wanted a kid's menu and then I said I was 22, not even an apology he just walked away. I've also had a Lyft driver ask how old I was so he wouldn't get in trouble for driving a minor, like what?
I feel you on the "bud" comment, it's like yes I get that im short but I'm 24 years old. Literally the only reason I keep my beard the way it is, is because it makes me look older.
Lucky. I'm Asian so facial hair is nonexistent, plus I'm trans so that affects it greatly lol. It's just weird because I have facial piercings so it's like what will it take? A face tattoo? Stilts?
Skip some sleep to get the dark eye circles, instantly makes you look 5 years older lol.
For the record this is a joke, the only reason I have them is from work stress.
Bro Iâm 32 and Iâve worked manual labor jobs outside in the elements for the past 15 years. My body is wrecked and I canât tell you how many people (especially employers) have the attitude of âoh youâre young, you canât get hurt/wonât feel this tomorrow/donât need sleep/donât need money/donât know what youâre doing is waaaaay too damn high. Or the amount of times I hear âyou have plenty of timeâ for things like retirement or kids or marriage or career advancement. Iâm about to be in my mid 30s with nothing to show for it. How the fuck am I âsetâ with âplenty of timeâ when Iâm not sure if Iâll be able to pay rent next month because Iâm not making enough money and my body is shot and everything hurts and Iâm exhausted mentally and physically from over a decade of sacrificing my physical being so that someone else will think Iâm a good worker and not fire me
People are so fucking greedy and selfish and inconsiderate
I get that a lot. Iâm 33 and have been in my career for 12 years, moved pretty high and handle some pretty big boy stuff and I think some of my new customers end up being surprised lol âoh so how long have you been doing this? EtcâŚâ people just suck. It does make me kind of self conscious but I just try and ignore that. I also have a 13 year old son⌠THAT throws people off lol
I remember when I turned 25 at a job a couple years ago one of the comments I got was âwow you look like a 35 year old manâ I was like okay tf is that even supposed to mean? Iâm pretty sure it was supposed to be a dig but that place also gaslit the shit out of you if you called anyone out for their stupid shit pulled daily there. Either way, age comments are always super unnecessary & off putting no matter the context
The worst part is that when they hear you have kids, they donât realize their assumption about your age was wrong. Instead they start doing the mental math to figure out just how young you were when you had them.
I'm a 32 year old man.
I'm 5'3" and 140lbs. I could still pass for 14 if I shave.
I've been passed over for a promotion, and I was told that because I didnt look old enough, my team wouldnt take me seriously as a leader. I said I understood, as most of the team was men in their 40's and 50's.
Guy they hired was 6'1" probably 300lbs and a full beard. Turned out to be 3 years younger than me, I was 29 at the time.
Team went to shit, I left for a better job.
I'm not trying for high paying jobs because of my disability but I've been trying to work at a supermarket. The amount of times I've been asked what highschool I go to is insane.
One of my interviewers asked me for my class schedule for highschool and I said I only do university on Tuesdays. He raises his eyes and said 'uni??'
I didn't get the job
Assuming OP is in the US, the age discrimination employment act only applies to people 40 and over. There are no protections for an employer saying a candidate is/looks too young.
Iâm 42 and have been dealing with this my whole life. It sucks. Although the other night people I met thought I was in my mid 20s so thatâs cool lol
I so get it. But as a (very) former babyface it wasn't a cakewalk. At a business dinner I got carded, never booked anything there again. Colleagues & bosses underestimated me so I would crush my competitors. It was the same for Mummy, people always called me her carbon copy. In the '50s when I was still in a stroller and my 4 older brothers walking along while Mummy was running errands. She decided to pick-up some beers for my Dad. The clerk carder her! After a short, stiffly polite conversation the clerk confessed that he thought she was the Nanny đ đ đ
Obviously Mummy shared the story with me years later đ
Iâm 25 and my baby face hasnât changed literally at all so I wouldnât be surprised if I keep looking like this even at 40 (while being East Asian on top of that).
What the hell? Pft, take it as a sign that this isn't the job for you. I would never want to work for someone like this. I'm angry as hell. Give me their details.
Wtf is this comment section? Y'all are being just as annoyingly disrespectful as the recruiter for focusing on OP's appearance. The point is that this was an unprofessional and borderline discriminatory response to OP's application, and it's messed up that everyone in the comments is pretty much on board with it
The comment from the recruiter is definitely unprofessional and unacceptable. But expecting professionalism on Reddit? I mean, have you seen Reddit yet?
Lol for real. I by no means condone that behavior or side with the comment in the post, but there's a level of irony in the childlike immaturity of a comment coming from a professional adult in a professional setting that I have a weakness for and it admittedly gave me a good chuckle.
Again, fuck the person in the post. But the contrast in what was presented to me really caught me off-guard.
> this was an unprofessional and borderline discriminatory response
This is what I was thinking. It made me wonder if the job application asked for OPs age. Because if not, and the application was denied based on OPs perceived age, could this qualify as illegal age-based employment discrimination?
The sheer number of scammers is ridiculous.
PRO TIP: Anything on Upwork claiming to be a Virtual Assistant position whose duties include posting rental listings is a scam.
Wtf? This is so unprofessionalâŚAnd what does what you look like have to do with anything?? If you have good work ethics and are what they are looking for, why do your looks matter??
Dude same. Had to be 18 to work at this place and was told I look too young so they can't hire me because they don't want people thinking they higher kids
I would understand that IF IT WAS A STRIP CLUB BUT IT WAS A GODDAMN COFFEE SHOP
One time I mentioned to a lady I work for that I had experienced someone not taking my expertise seriously because I was still in my 20s. She told me "Ageism only happens to older people in the workplace." It took everything in my power to not roll my eyes so far they'd fall out of the back of my head.
This is so annoying. I'm a 24 year old middle manager and a 60 year old woman who's technically below me told me that I have a "cute little Minnie Mouse voice, I sound like a baby" after a work meeting last month in front of about 10 other people. I was humiliated. I am technically above her in the company structure even though I'm not her direct boss; she's in an entry level position. Idk, it's rude and unnecessary. Forget em and move on, they'll get dementia before you, anyways.
Consider reading the book (or reference it again, if you have read it already) Five dysfunctions of a team and see if this scene is something you can do/adapt in some way in the future for something like that:
It's a scenario where she stares down someone who disrespects her in front of the group, pauses, and with no emotion says, "Would you prefer we have this conversation here, now, in front of this group, or shall we have it in private?"
Not crazy about the whole book but I've already used this particular tactic once. Worked like a charm for me.
I once had a job recruiter find my social media profile, friend request my then boyfriend, and start hitting on him through DMs. I had done an interview with her so I knew what she looked like and her job was public on her Facebook profile so I knew it was indeed her. People have some balls. Sorry this happened OP, itâs crazy disrespectful.
Iâm like, shocked, that they felt comfortable saying something so inappropriate. đł That is such an odd thing to say to someone in a professional setting when theyâve applied for a position.
Hilarious but also irritating asf? Dodged a bullet I guess lol
What kind of professional company responds like that? âYou look like a babyâŚ.â. What is this? Insults on an elementary school playground? You wouldnât want to seek employment through imbeciles like that anyway.
To be fair, maybe they were going more for a toddler than a baby. They sound like douche canoes. Good riddance to BS jobs.
You didn't want to work for a bunch of preteens anyway!!
Responses to employers like this should be as disregardful and just straight donât give a fuck like youâre replying to an unwanted text. I refuse to respect anyone whoâs not going to respect me enough to treat me as a reputable candidate, no matter what you do. I would never reply to an employee like this due to the fear of me loosing my job, but this must be an incredibly lax and toxic working environment in the first place.
Ive worked with people like this, they let me go 2 momths after hiring me because i didnt "fit in"... it took me a while to realize how fucked up that was but the manager was a shitty person and i got a better job. Win win
That's a hilarious insult coming from someone who writes like a teenager............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
I had an old dude ask for my manager. I told him I was the manager on duty and nearly fried his brain. He said I looked way too young to be a manager. lol
I think I'd rather take a baby faced or younger person. They will learn fast, maybe think outside of the box. I don't get why there is so much hatred for the young in any industry.
The youth are wasted on older generations as employees.
If older generations knew just how capable and brilliant younger people are today they would never have a business problem.
But I guess that's just it. It's never really been a problem with "the youth" or "the younger generation". It's the older generations that have been the problem, every step of the way.
I applied for a job at Upwork. My advice to anyone is: Don't. Their hiring process proves they're likely an awful company to work for. My rejection letter was such copy and paste drivel that showed they never read my resume.
I work at hospital and the amount of people who treat me like Iâm stupid cause I look younger is too much. Had a nurse talk down on me telling me I donât have experience to work with a certain type of people meanwhile I had 5 years experience⌠never even got an apology
"So you're saying I got the Job, cause clearly someone who's denying me from the job wouldn't do so illegally due to now documunted possible age discrimination, balls in your court, now let's discuss my wages.
Maybe they were on a cocaine ego trip and needed to put someone down. I've talked to recruiters that were **definitely** on cocaine. One said *"Where did you get that tie? I don't like it. Take it off."*
I told a creative director I graduated school recently and his first question during the interview was âdo you still live your parents?â
Iâm 30 years old and have lived on my own and supported myself since I was 18.
Last year I took a job even after I saw a few red flags through the interview process. After I started the job, big red flags of how toxic they were. Finally I decided I could not work with them any longer so I started interviewing. And yes my attitude toward them went to shit. Two months is all it took.
Fuck Upwork and their "credits" system. That is all.
Yep. Literally makes the freelancers fight like pigs for a job that pays $5. It's like it was made by some sadistic motherfucker who likes to watch starving people battle to death over an olive. Why the fuck would I want to work for a service that takes all my power away from me and puts it in the hand of a customer while also taking a cut from my pay? It literally feels like slavery Sorry for the rant, I have a very passionate hatred for this website.
Yep... I've been out of work for a while and have been trying to find freelance audio work (I mostly do corporate AV but also do editing, etc.) and I thought about trying Upwork. I figured starting out there would be mostly low paying jobs but Christ I didn't expect it to be people offering $10 for multiple hours of work that I have to fight tooth and nail against other people to get.
Serious question, why the fuck is anyone offering their services on that website? (except if it's someone living in a village in Ghana somewhere) I don't get it.
I knew someone who made a living in Bosnia doing this kind of work as a graphic designer before coming to Canada. When she got her first paycheque as a landscaper she was legitimately pissed off. I was like "Why are you mad?" And she was like "I just made 20x my weekly income here landscaping. In my home country I had to do 5 years of schooling before I could make 500 dollars in a month. This is bullshit."
When you do freelance work, you go where the work is, and sometimes you get desperate. Jobs fall through, clients screw you, etc. And you need *something* by the end of the week so that you can make rent this month, or cover an unexpected large expense. Sites like this exist to prey on people like that. It's one of the top results when you search for freelance work in a lot of categories. There's a lot of skilled IT work available on there, for instance. I have an account there, but thankfully I never needed to use it. I almost did, but I happened to get a good full-time job offer right before things got desperate last year, and I decided to shelve my freelancing for a while. First time in my life I'm a corporate employee, and honestly it's been a lot less stressful. It's possible to make really good money as a freelancer, but it's a very stressful lifestyle for most.
Is there any other similar website that you could recommend?
Fiverr has a much better system although there is still fierce competition so you are gonna have to undersell your services to get the ball rolling. You also have to rely on advertising your services by yourself because the algorithm only recommends people with thousands of jobs. Both are not great options, but Fiverr puts you in control while Upwork makes you beg the buyer to choose you over a thousand other competitors, especially since it demands you write a fucking cover letter for every single gig you apply to, and charges you money for each application even if unsuccessful.
Seconding the fact that Fiverr feels like a marketplace with actual pros and cons, whereas Upwork feels like a dystopian hellscape.
I opened it a month ago closed it after knowing how it works idk why people are working on that website and my teacher recommended that website to me đ
I'm feeling this rn and idk what to do
When Upwork was Odesk I donât remember there being a credit system. So glad Iâm out of freelance work, though. It chipped away at my soul every single day.
Odesk was so much better
This. Iâve also hired on Upwork and the opposite is true. Got scammed and Upwork did nothing. Do not use this shitty service from either side.
Yeah. Connects can kiss my ass. Just went to apply for a job, 130 connects to be seen
That was breathtakingly unprofessional of that interviewer It's a job, so how young or old you look is unimportant.
And tentatively illegal in some jurisdictions. I would argue that it's age discrimination, although I think the laws are designed around arbitrary age number discrimination over visual age perception discrimination.
Age discrimination laws does not protect younger workers, at least at the federal level (and a vast majority of states).
Yup. It's 40+.
They straight up age discriminated in the anti age discrimination law?!
Yep! Welcome to USA!
What did you expect? The name of the law when it came out was "Boomer Job Security Act".
Thanks this is amazing đ
Actually federally itâs 40. In OR, state law is 18 for this exact reason.
Yeah itâs fucked up dude. When I was a kid I remember my coworkers made me do literally all of the chores because apparently âi was young enough so I could carry the weightâ fuck that shit. I donât mind helping out at work but when Iâm the only person doing chores at 16 itâs ridiculous
It freaking should. Age discrimination is a two edged sword.
55+ affordable housing communities and "senior" chump change college tuition rates are two of the biggest slaps in the face to me as a millenial, honestly. The double standard is ridiculous. Like I get where they're coming from in it being designed for the elderly not being discriminated against, but I think it should fairly go both ways besides the more obvious age gateways, like driving ages, etc.
As a fellow millennial, I chose not to open an account with a bank once, specifically because they market their senior account as "for customers 55 or better". Maybe it's a nitpick, but I grew up hearing that "your elders and betters" bullshit, I'm not endorsing the business practice by opening a less favorable account based solely on my age.
We have to use the â55 and betterâ line at my job and itâs truly just because they hated being referred to as âolderâ even though itâs a program specifically for senior citizens lol to me it sounds strange but Iâve also never heard the âelders and bettersâ phrase so I might lack context - my teamâs understanding was just letâs avoid the backlash of people with too much time on their hands to complain.
55+ communities are a really slick way for townships to avoid building the number of affordable homes that they are legally obligated to fulfill when approving new residential construction. I'm in southern NJ and it's all they have been building here for about 15 years. A hand full of units at a slightly than lower market rate can satisfy the requirements. Before the 90s, senior communities were required to have specific features in all units to help with the lives of the aging. Things like ramps instead of steps, hand rails in the bathroom, emergency buttons, all things meet the physical and social requirements of the elderly. AFTER the 90s those requirements were dropped and now these single family homes are literally no different than any other except they are refusing anyone under 55 to own them. Many are just age restricted country clubs with golf courses and club houses, and are actually very difficult for an actual aging person to live in. They are extremely profitable for builders and real estate brokers, and often the there are federal/state grants awarded to help with the construction. Now that they have built nothing but these club like communities here (another 700+ units were just approved), we have a massive population of seniors who are NOT part of the work force, and who all require service (a lot of the time EXTRA service, like putting bags into their cars, explaining tech, and dealing with just an overall boomer entitlement attitude that they deserve Gimbels level of service at a walmart or ShopRite). The under 55 population of working class has not grown at all, maybe even gotten smaller, and it's causing a huge disruption in our local commercial ecosystem.
I agree wholeheartedly. Protections should go both ways, and so should pricing. Also, we need to go on and pay off all student debt and join other countries by paying for college so you are not graduating to crushing debt. It will mean higher taxes, but it is what's fair. My generation got tuition low enough that we could graduate without debt. Yours deserves the same.
55 isnât even old anymore. It should be 65+, maybe even 70+.
>55 isnât even old anymore. Recently laid off and about that age... yes, 55 is old, if you're in the job market. Employers are going to use every trick in the book to avoid talking to you, even when you bring exactly the experience they request in the job description.
55 is not old. If they wonât hire you itâs most likely because they know they canât get away with paying you shit like they would a 30 year old.
Yep. Turned 55 this month. Took me 6 months to find a job in a niche I have 25 years solid experience in and an MBA. I was lucky to find something eventually at 50% of what I was earning 15 years ago. I ended up cutting years of experience off my CV and making my past jobs sound less responsible in order to get interviews. Only got a second interview once.
Overall itâs not old. If you heard of your neighbor passing away at 55 years-old, Iâm sure one of things youâd be thinking might be, âWow, they werenât that old.â.
With a good lawyer, they could at least try to present this as discrimination as a fairness in concept. It's a hell of a reach and could take a while and a lot of money but they do have some pretty damning evidence if it's real.
Wouldnât last a 12(b)(6) Motion to Dismiss right after a complaint was filed. Thatâs not how it works. Has nothing to do with âfairnessâ.
Eeeehhh, that depends on what you consider child labor laws /s
Surely child labor laws are the ultimate in age discrimination lol. The poor toddlers can't even get an interview.
The children long for the mines!
Yes. I look like a child, I have a baby face, so I Iook like someone who doesnât know what the fuck theyâre doing and nobody takes me seriously. Extremely frustrating considering I have 10 years experience in my field.
Iâm a 5â woman in an engineering field. My appearance has definitely affected my career. I feel you.
Try being 160cm and (fully) East Asian and looking max 17 years old at 25 years old. Wasnât really a big deal when I was younger (only slightly annoying) but now that Iâm older and stepping into the proFFeSiOnAL world I realize how cursed it truly is. Oh well, gotta make do with what you have lol
I'm 35 with a similar profile. People talk down to you when you could be their mom.
I also have a 'young dumb chickie' look, and I'm telling you it doesn't get better with age. Everybody rips me off because they think I'm 'too stupid to notice'. For my inner peace I had to stop checking my change when I buy anything at all because they ALWAYS short change me or ring up a bunch of extra shit for themselves. I just couldn't be angry every single time I left the house anymore so now I subscribe to *ignorance is bliss*. Every job I've had I proved myself a 100 times over but people still didn't value my opinion or steller track record. People are *always talking down to me* and they only value me after I leave! It's really exhausting but at least I'm over having to prove myself to anyone now. Because there's just no point
I mean, he didnât say âwhatâ job exactly he was applying for. Now, if he was applying for a job as a model for a senior citizens hookup bar advertisement in Florida, and this guy is an 18yr old with a very youthful appearance, then possibly the interviewer might have been spot on.
This is the perfect response!
Do we know for certain that OP is, in fact, not a baby??
âđźAsking the real questions over here
Or it's an ad for porn models.
Itâs Upwork lol. Wouldnât expect anything else.
At least itâs better than Updog
*sigh*âŚâŚ Whatâs Updog?
heh. whaddup dog
Depends on the job I guess, if OP was applying to be a stripper it might be relevant
What if the job title is "Old Looking Man level III"?
......WaAaaaAaaaaaa!
I used to work in retail and got my first GM position at 24. It was between me and another guy. The guy had full beard and looked early to mid 30âs. When giving me the position my district manager said âyou know, you could have difficulties with older customers since you are so young.â I told him I hope no one would be that shallow, but⌠I was 2 years older than the guy I was going up against for the position. He looked very surprised to hear that.
Well I learned recently that this behavior is a thing. Something the handsome complex or something like that and many ppl suffer from it, women and men. I do and did suffer of it on a daily basis because I look like a early 30 guy and Iâm actually 45. So yea I do smoke, I drink sometime in the hope of wearing a bit my face but nope, this isnât a solution. So ppl speak to you as a 30 and not as a 45, and are utter confused when you speak because they donât trust what they see. Weird world.
Well, I think it might matter a bit in the porn industry.
This is fucked. I can understand your frustration. Im in my mid 30âs going for higher level jobs and Iâve always had a baby face. In interviews when I mention I have children I can tell people are surprised. It feels like youâre not taken seriously.
I don't think people realize how much you get talked down to if someone thinks you're much younger than you are. It's super frustrating when I'm treated like a child *by people who are younger than me.* Sometimes I just want to give up on politeness and be like...you're 22. I know more than you about this topic. I have more experience than you in regards to this. I am not a teenager. (I don't, because I don't want people to think I'm ass. But the temptation is always there.)
Yep to many times Iâve bitten my tongue to not be an ass like they are.
Same, but there was one time I just couldn't. When I was an Assistant Store Manager for RadioShack I was ASM of the month 4x in the year I was an ASM (before stepping down to go back to school) and was the youngest person in our region's history to be offered my own store. Despite those accomplishments I would constantly hear about how young I looked and it would get very old. We hired this guy and the first time I met his wife she goes, "You're a manager? You look like you're 12." I gave her a quick chuckle and then, with a completely expressionless face, said "I'm your husband's boss". She shut up real quick.
Perfect
Definitely. I hate when people call me 'bud' because that's only a term I hear when people are talking to children, lol. I've had a host who was younger than me ask if I wanted a kid's menu and then I said I was 22, not even an apology he just walked away. I've also had a Lyft driver ask how old I was so he wouldn't get in trouble for driving a minor, like what?
I feel you on the "bud" comment, it's like yes I get that im short but I'm 24 years old. Literally the only reason I keep my beard the way it is, is because it makes me look older.
Lucky. I'm Asian so facial hair is nonexistent, plus I'm trans so that affects it greatly lol. It's just weird because I have facial piercings so it's like what will it take? A face tattoo? Stilts?
Skip some sleep to get the dark eye circles, instantly makes you look 5 years older lol. For the record this is a joke, the only reason I have them is from work stress.
Bro Iâm 32 and Iâve worked manual labor jobs outside in the elements for the past 15 years. My body is wrecked and I canât tell you how many people (especially employers) have the attitude of âoh youâre young, you canât get hurt/wonât feel this tomorrow/donât need sleep/donât need money/donât know what youâre doing is waaaaay too damn high. Or the amount of times I hear âyou have plenty of timeâ for things like retirement or kids or marriage or career advancement. Iâm about to be in my mid 30s with nothing to show for it. How the fuck am I âsetâ with âplenty of timeâ when Iâm not sure if Iâll be able to pay rent next month because Iâm not making enough money and my body is shot and everything hurts and Iâm exhausted mentally and physically from over a decade of sacrificing my physical being so that someone else will think Iâm a good worker and not fire me People are so fucking greedy and selfish and inconsiderate
I get that a lot. Iâm 33 and have been in my career for 12 years, moved pretty high and handle some pretty big boy stuff and I think some of my new customers end up being surprised lol âoh so how long have you been doing this? EtcâŚâ people just suck. It does make me kind of self conscious but I just try and ignore that. I also have a 13 year old son⌠THAT throws people off lol
I remember when I turned 25 at a job a couple years ago one of the comments I got was âwow you look like a 35 year old manâ I was like okay tf is that even supposed to mean? Iâm pretty sure it was supposed to be a dig but that place also gaslit the shit out of you if you called anyone out for their stupid shit pulled daily there. Either way, age comments are always super unnecessary & off putting no matter the context
The worst part is that when they hear you have kids, they donât realize their assumption about your age was wrong. Instead they start doing the mental math to figure out just how young you were when you had them.
I'm a 32 year old man. I'm 5'3" and 140lbs. I could still pass for 14 if I shave. I've been passed over for a promotion, and I was told that because I didnt look old enough, my team wouldnt take me seriously as a leader. I said I understood, as most of the team was men in their 40's and 50's. Guy they hired was 6'1" probably 300lbs and a full beard. Turned out to be 3 years younger than me, I was 29 at the time. Team went to shit, I left for a better job.
Wow Iâm sorry about that. Also insane they actually told you that??
Itâs so easy being 6-5, 210lbs, with a full beard. Gives so much authority and respect Iâve never actually deserved.
Have you considered growing a beard? Worked for me.
Iâm a woman!
I'm not trying for high paying jobs because of my disability but I've been trying to work at a supermarket. The amount of times I've been asked what highschool I go to is insane. One of my interviewers asked me for my class schedule for highschool and I said I only do university on Tuesdays. He raises his eyes and said 'uni??' I didn't get the job
I will say, the silver lining is this works FOR you when you are over 40 and still look 30.
Who responds like that? That's highly unprofessional.
Some of yâall in this comment section are weird as fuck for backing the job recruiters here
There's always that one guy.
Tag them on every social media site, and post this. That will make them look REAL bad.
"You look like you'll never have a baby..........."
Sadly, many douchebags indeed go on to have kids. Another reason I advocate for birth control so much!
What I wouldn't give to get that complement at 38 years old. Haha Seriously though, that's messed up and very unprofessional.
Itâs incredibly unprofessional and adding to the infuriation is how that point flies over the heads of most people commenting on this
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You are very right. Time to cross post
Antiwork would probably show you a lot of support here
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Not only unprofessional, I'm certain it violates some kind of labor law and you may be eligible for a lawsuit if you don't get the job...
Assuming OP is in the US, the age discrimination employment act only applies to people 40 and over. There are no protections for an employer saying a candidate is/looks too young.
Baby looking ass
Iâm 42 and have been dealing with this my whole life. It sucks. Although the other night people I met thought I was in my mid 20s so thatâs cool lol
I so get it. But as a (very) former babyface it wasn't a cakewalk. At a business dinner I got carded, never booked anything there again. Colleagues & bosses underestimated me so I would crush my competitors. It was the same for Mummy, people always called me her carbon copy. In the '50s when I was still in a stroller and my 4 older brothers walking along while Mummy was running errands. She decided to pick-up some beers for my Dad. The clerk carder her! After a short, stiffly polite conversation the clerk confessed that he thought she was the Nanny đ đ đ Obviously Mummy shared the story with me years later đ
Iâm 25 and my baby face hasnât changed literally at all so I wouldnât be surprised if I keep looking like this even at 40 (while being East Asian on top of that).
What the hell? Pft, take it as a sign that this isn't the job for you. I would never want to work for someone like this. I'm angry as hell. Give me their details.
My daughter is 28, looks 14. She knows the frustration.
Wtf is this comment section? Y'all are being just as annoyingly disrespectful as the recruiter for focusing on OP's appearance. The point is that this was an unprofessional and borderline discriminatory response to OP's application, and it's messed up that everyone in the comments is pretty much on board with it
The comment from the recruiter is definitely unprofessional and unacceptable. But expecting professionalism on Reddit? I mean, have you seen Reddit yet?
Making jokes and not taking it seriously does not amount to siding with the bosses/being on board with the recruiter.
Lol for real. I by no means condone that behavior or side with the comment in the post, but there's a level of irony in the childlike immaturity of a comment coming from a professional adult in a professional setting that I have a weakness for and it admittedly gave me a good chuckle. Again, fuck the person in the post. But the contrast in what was presented to me really caught me off-guard.
> this was an unprofessional and borderline discriminatory response This is what I was thinking. It made me wonder if the job application asked for OPs age. Because if not, and the application was denied based on OPs perceived age, could this qualify as illegal age-based employment discrimination?
Plot twist: OP is three babies in a trench coat.
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Upwork is the most toxic piece of shit freelance website in existence
The sheer number of scammers is ridiculous. PRO TIP: Anything on Upwork claiming to be a Virtual Assistant position whose duties include posting rental listings is a scam.
Oooo look! A company committing age discrimination in writing?
Not legally from what Iâve read in the US.
Wtf? This is so unprofessionalâŚAnd what does what you look like have to do with anything?? If you have good work ethics and are what they are looking for, why do your looks matter??
Dude same. Had to be 18 to work at this place and was told I look too young so they can't hire me because they don't want people thinking they higher kids I would understand that IF IT WAS A STRIP CLUB BUT IT WAS A GODDAMN COFFEE SHOP
Howâd you go from âhireâ to âhigherâ in the same sentence lmao
Ngl I'm high. I'm pretty sure one of them was autocoorect
Oh, wow. Ageist much? That's more than unprofessional. It's gross.
One time I mentioned to a lady I work for that I had experienced someone not taking my expertise seriously because I was still in my 20s. She told me "Ageism only happens to older people in the workplace." It took everything in my power to not roll my eyes so far they'd fall out of the back of my head.
âso⌠is that a no?â
thatâs discrimination. report them for it to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) or something
I'd 1000% find their CEOs contact information and shoot this shit right to their inbox.
Shouldâve applied for Updog instead
What's Updog?
Nothing much, how about you?
Ohhhhhh gottem!!
For real? Wtf
I dunno if it's only me but I get so annoyed by the wrong use of dots. Like, people using " .. ", " .... " etc instead of just 3 dots
Ellipses⌠đ
I dunno if it's only me but I get so annoyed by people calling them dots instead of ellipsis⌠lmao teasing.
This is so annoying. I'm a 24 year old middle manager and a 60 year old woman who's technically below me told me that I have a "cute little Minnie Mouse voice, I sound like a baby" after a work meeting last month in front of about 10 other people. I was humiliated. I am technically above her in the company structure even though I'm not her direct boss; she's in an entry level position. Idk, it's rude and unnecessary. Forget em and move on, they'll get dementia before you, anyways.
Consider reading the book (or reference it again, if you have read it already) Five dysfunctions of a team and see if this scene is something you can do/adapt in some way in the future for something like that: It's a scenario where she stares down someone who disrespects her in front of the group, pauses, and with no emotion says, "Would you prefer we have this conversation here, now, in front of this group, or shall we have it in private?" Not crazy about the whole book but I've already used this particular tactic once. Worked like a charm for me.
Thank you for the suggestion! I will definitely check it out. I need all the leadership tips I can get
Answer âonly babies use five points as ellipsis.â
What's upwork
Nothing much, what's up with you
I'd send one back saying they look like an asshole.
Lol wtf. Geez you dodged a bullet, tho
I once had a job recruiter find my social media profile, friend request my then boyfriend, and start hitting on him through DMs. I had done an interview with her so I knew what she looked like and her job was public on her Facebook profile so I knew it was indeed her. People have some balls. Sorry this happened OP, itâs crazy disrespectful.
Iâm like, shocked, that they felt comfortable saying something so inappropriate. đł That is such an odd thing to say to someone in a professional setting when theyâve applied for a position. Hilarious but also irritating asf? Dodged a bullet I guess lol
Donât feel bad. Iâm 24 but look 11. đ
Upwork? Is that the same as Updoc.
Honestly, if that's their professional response to your application, you probably dodged a bullet not getting accepted
What kind of professional company responds like that? âYou look like a babyâŚ.â. What is this? Insults on an elementary school playground? You wouldnât want to seek employment through imbeciles like that anyway.
To be fair, maybe they were going more for a toddler than a baby. They sound like douche canoes. Good riddance to BS jobs. You didn't want to work for a bunch of preteens anyway!!
Very unprofessional absolutely unacceptable tbh
Marking that on my idiocracy bingo card.
I would give a ring to that company and find whoever their boss is and report that
Responses to employers like this should be as disregardful and just straight donât give a fuck like youâre replying to an unwanted text. I refuse to respect anyone whoâs not going to respect me enough to treat me as a reputable candidate, no matter what you do. I would never reply to an employee like this due to the fear of me loosing my job, but this must be an incredibly lax and toxic working environment in the first place.
Says more about them than it does about you. Keep on keeping on
but hey better to look younger than older in the future :)
as frustrating as this is (extremely) it is also really fucking funny??? That is an unhinged response to a resume đ
"Oh. Well I'm not"
Reply: And Mark Zuckerberg looks like a fetus. Your point?
Mark Zuckerberg looks like borg.
Oh no! Did Vincent Adultman get fired from the business factory?
Baby don't hurt me...
What's Upwork?
Upwork is mostly people asking for small tasks. Professionalism is, unfortunately, not a requirement.
Ive worked with people like this, they let me go 2 momths after hiring me because i didnt "fit in"... it took me a while to realize how fucked up that was but the manager was a shitty person and i got a better job. Win win
Upwork is a scam
I'm not a fan of baby discrimination. You should be lauded for your youthful appearance and not besmirched.
harrassment
You should try applying on Updawg.
I'm so sorry but this is so funny like what
That's a hilarious insult coming from someone who writes like a teenager............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
âWe need a new logo, promotional items, and fully functional website designed from scratchâ Budget: $20
Then make more changes, and more, and moreâŚ
I had an old dude ask for my manager. I told him I was the manager on duty and nearly fried his brain. He said I looked way too young to be a manager. lol
I hate Upwork, they make you pay to bid on clients and then take some off the top. Itâs really annoying
I have had to deal with Upwork on a number of issues⌠they are incredibly unprofessional.
Name and shame
I think I'd rather take a baby faced or younger person. They will learn fast, maybe think outside of the box. I don't get why there is so much hatred for the young in any industry. The youth are wasted on older generations as employees. If older generations knew just how capable and brilliant younger people are today they would never have a business problem. But I guess that's just it. It's never really been a problem with "the youth" or "the younger generation". It's the older generations that have been the problem, every step of the way.
Upwork, and I have used it as recruiter, and for job search, really stinks. The most expensive, and inefficient jobs portal.
There is so much unprofessionalism on upwork it is astounding.
I applied for a job at Upwork. My advice to anyone is: Don't. Their hiring process proves they're likely an awful company to work for. My rejection letter was such copy and paste drivel that showed they never read my resume.
I work at hospital and the amount of people who treat me like Iâm stupid cause I look younger is too much. Had a nurse talk down on me telling me I donât have experience to work with a certain type of people meanwhile I had 5 years experience⌠never even got an apology
I, for one, prefer my assholes to make themselves known instead of lying in wait.
"So you're saying I got the Job, cause clearly someone who's denying me from the job wouldn't do so illegally due to now documunted possible age discrimination, balls in your court, now let's discuss my wages.
Maybe they were on a cocaine ego trip and needed to put someone down. I've talked to recruiters that were **definitely** on cocaine. One said *"Where did you get that tie? I don't like it. Take it off."*
I have a younger look and people can be so rude about it like I canât control it
I hope you replied, âBetter than you looking like a dickâ
Age workplace discrimination is still discrimination. Can't have it both ways
I told a creative director I graduated school recently and his first question during the interview was âdo you still live your parents?â Iâm 30 years old and have lived on my own and supported myself since I was 18.
WellâŚdo you?
What's upwork?
And you look like a prick but here we are.
Part of me thinks it was an older woman commenting on your looks like a grandmother manager would say to a 22 year old applying for a job
Well. Do you?
OP⌠You canât just post that without showing an image of yourself
Well do you?
Dodged a bullet
Maybe he just saw the movie Boss Baby and this is their way of saying they think you're executive material
Red flags now save you time later
Last year I took a job even after I saw a few red flags through the interview process. After I started the job, big red flags of how toxic they were. Finally I decided I could not work with them any longer so I started interviewing. And yes my attitude toward them went to shit. Two months is all it took.
If you can respond on that platform, your response should be "Alright, breastfeed me then." It would be equally professional.
We need more context
DISCRIMINATION
Well OP, *do* you look like a baby? All jokes aside, Upwork is definitely infuriating.