Since March 10, he started quitting his job at his old company, but after 2 interviews, Mr. Pham Van Dong - a designer (32 years old, Cau Giay district, Hanoi) - has not been accepted by any company due to his ability and age.
"I took a day off to go to a 2-seat interview, but the results made me quite disappointed and worried. If I continue to keep the set criteria, I will probably not find the job I am doing" - Mr. Dong shared.
According to Mr. Dong, although his current job is stressful, the company still pays him a salary of 13 million VND/month. When proposing a similar income level, other companies all thought that this was quite a high level. If he wants to receive his current salary, he has to work as a video designer.
After applying for a job, Mr. Dong realized that with a salary of 10 million VND/month, employers can easily recruit people with equivalent abilities. The companies emphasized that they prioritize younger people, because now young people are very creative, enthusiastic and experienced, not inferior to U40.
Mr. Dong plans to reduce the salary requirement to 10 million VND/month, or even lower, if he still cannot find a new job after quitting his job. He himself will also spend more time improving his experience to score points in the next interview.
In the same situation, Ms. Pham Thu Uyen (30 years old) - a human resources administrative worker in Nam Tu Liem district, Hanoi - said that the younger generation, especially Gen Z (born from 1997 to 2012), are the most serious opponents when interviewing, not the older one.
I see that young people today are not only good at technology but also apply AI well as can quickly catch trends and record professional videos - something that U40s like me are still slow to do, said Ms. Uyen.
Another reason Ms. Uyen shared that she could not find a job when interviewing was the employer's perception of being attached to the company.
During the interview, many companies asked very carefully about how many jobs they have worked, why they are still changing jobs at this age. Although I don't say it directly, I clearly see in their thinking that they are thinking that I am a person who loves job-hopping" - Ms. Uyen said.
Mr. Nguyen Cuong (31 years old) - Head of Marketing Department of a dental service company in Cau Giay District, Hanoi - said that many people aged 30 and over have difficulty finding a job because they are self-conscious and require inappropriate salaries.
According to Mr. Cuong, age is not the same as years of experience. After many years of applying for jobs, Mr. Cuong shared that many U40s have experience in just above average, only doing one job while the job requires flexibility and diversity.
Sharing more, Mr. Cuong said that the accumulated experiences of U40 are no longer suitable for the trend of work and the market. For example, content on websites is now not as focused as content on social networks. The contents that are not done in an impressive new way are also of little interest.
The head of the IT department informed that companies now always prioritize candidates who can do many jobs at the same time and have practical experience. In particular, dynamic and creative young people always have the advantage.
According to Mr. Cuong, when he gave the salary to the candidate, it was not based on how many years they worked but on the work they could do.
"Although candidates are over 30 years old but do not have much experience, they must accept a lower salary or even a starting salary if they want to be hired" - Mr. Cuong said.
