The frustrations of accepting a job offer which I know it doesn't work out and ageism at play....

tinytobe · 22-12-2025 11:04AM #1

Out of reasons of ageism and not hired in my previous professional field I decided to apply for other jobs in other fields.

After an endless job search and many dead ends the only current job offer is a company with very low basic pay and many problematic reviews on Glassdoor.

The reviews are not just rants but describe real business problems which seem sadly all credible, in the context of what the company is offering and doing. Also the exact role has been vacant ever so often, the business location in Dublin not too big to get lost in, further strengthening a hire and fire attitude and that firing is strongly connected to their business model as well as their clients and projects they have or get cancelled, not to employee's doing.

It's a bit hard to think what to do, but drifting into a job which is going to result in me leaving right from the start seems a bad choice. Sadly there are no other choices and the move to Dublin isn't exactly free of any cost.

Even worse when you see all the multilingual people in their 30ies getting job offers and hefty relocation packages at the likes of Microsoft, Google or Salesforce in Dublin and I don't (even though I understand the technology more than well) just because of my age, and thus having to accept inferior offers…… ( and look across any of their offices and you rarely find anybody over 45 )

An over 50 year old is rarely a "good cultural fit" in HR terms, even if one is in very good health and understands the technology.

Flinty997 · 25-12-2025 01:38PM

Yes ageism is rampant..

Don't take that job it sounds like a disaster.

Look for something else. Try contracting. Try public sector. Or work for yourself. You might get two part time jobs that equal one full time salary.

Mrs OBumble · 25-12-2025 04:53PM

Try looking for temp jobs. Yes I know you want permanent, but sometimes an employer will relax the ageism etc if they aren't worried about long term. And it gives you an opportunity to prove yourself to them.

LambshankRedemption · 25-12-2025 06:06PM

Ageism is not at play if they have offered you a job and you have not started with them yet.

There is no denying that the job market is extremely tough at the moment and has been for about the last 9 months. Something the media is conveniently ignoring. However, anecdotally it seems to have picked up a bit in the last month or so.

The two red flags that are standing out for me are:

Very low basic pay
Also the exact role has been vacant ever so often,

I work as a contractor and most of my contracts are 6 months to a year. There's a company down in Shannon who, every time Ive been looking for a new contract in about the last 5 years they have been looking for someone who does close to what I do. Either they are continually expanding their team(unlikely) or they can't keep someone in a role for more than about 6 months. Assuming it's the latter, it's a big red flag for me.

The low basic pay brings its own problems. Not just financial. In the new job you may not be inclined to apply for other jobs. If you are offered a better paying job you not feel like taking it because you are already ensconced in this one.

An over 50 year old is rarely a "good cultural fit" in HR terms, even if one is in very good health and understands the technology.

I actually disagree with this statement. Yes lots of places want recent graduates, but there are lots of places that prefer older experienced people. About this time last year I was involved in a mainframe migration, and we had to get a consultant out of retirement because we couldn't find anyone else experienced with the technology.

My only tip: If you've not done so already, take your date of birth off your CV.

tinytobe · 26-12-2025 08:35AM

Ageism is sadly at play, as it's the only job I seem to be able to get. Due to all the red flags nobody else wants this job.

Self employment isn't that easy thus not really realistic.

tinytobe · 26-01-2026 11:28PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124094920#Comment_124094920

Three weeks into the job and it turned out negative, as expected. Most of the reviews about the company were sadly true.

The main issue is the rather low salary, it's a basic salary, plus a commission. The commission part is however nowhere mentioned in the employment offer, it seems to be given a the company's discression. Also the task at hand, and how the customers are approached seems dodgy to me at best. It goes against any ethics and experiences I've had in customer relations and any kind of criticism is met with 3rd degree looks of dedication to the job.

The only positive parts of the job is that ageism doesn't seem to exist in this company and most colleagues seem helpful and friendly, but that all with some kind of blindness for the company undertone.

The downside is the fake friendlyness culture, and the general hire and fire practice, which is not really down to employee performance and not meeting expectations, but more due to loss of larger projects and subsequently the work of some employees isn't needed anymore.

LambshankRedemption · 27-01-2026 09:17AM

The downside is the fake friendlyness culture,

To be honest, that is par for the course nowadays.

The frustrations of accepting a job offer which I know it doesn't work out and ageism at play....

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