Editor's take: The postman always interviews once
Someone out there in the shape of your friendly neighbourhood forty-something-year-old postman is stalking City firms. How hospitable are the banks when he comes a-knockin'?
What's in the mailbag? His CV. I'm told (read unconfirmed) this postman-cum-wannabe investment banker has applied to Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch and Deutsche Bank. There may be more investment houses on his route yet.
Our candidate has a 2:1 from the Open University. He is 38 years old. While I have not seen the CV (wouldn't be ethical), its owner is asking to interview for analyst roles. Sounds fair - at least he's realistic about where on the ladder he needs to start a career in the capital markets, even at his age.
Then there's the 30-something ex-GP now working with a US bulge bracket bank and who is, from what I hear, the darling of the investment banking division. And they are not alone. As one head of graduate recruitment and diversity at a US bulge bracket house told me recently, he and every player in the City will potentially have to start hiring 40-year-old analysts. Have to, not want to.
Since the introduction of the new UK anti-ageism regulations in October 2006,
City firms have been changing the wording on job adverts, for example, to comply, though a quick search on eFinancialCareers for some 'banned' words such as 'young' and 'dynamic' still pulls up some offenders. It will, however, take more than vocabulary to change the youthful yearning of the banks.
"Culture change will take a very long time," says Patrick Grattan, CEO of The Age and Employment Network (TAEN), stressing that the age discrimination message just isn't getting through, or at least needs constant reinforcement. And someone needs to go first: "One or two City firms need to break the mould."
Helping them break the mould is the healthy fear of the potential lawsuits and compensation claims that could ensue if they don't.
Back to said postman. Those in the know suspect what we have here is a journalist, no less, tempting these firms into an age discrimination trap. The UK regulations on age discrimination have not yet been tested in this sector, but most in the market think it's only a matter of time before an age-related case hits both the courts and the press.
Did our postman get any interviews? I'm reliably informed that he did. No prizes, then, for guessing if he landed the job.
