Ageism or age discrimination against over-40 professionals is now widespread in high tech hiring at both startups and established leaders. We call it 'graylisting'. This presentation by Graylisted.Org lays out the various 'shades' of ageism seen in job postings (for both engineering and line of business positions) by tech companies. To fight ageism in the high tech industry, become a charter member of Graylisted.Org.

1. Cracking the Age Discrimination ‘Code’
in
Big Tech & Digital Startup HR

2. Tech Age Discrimination on the Rise
•Age discrimination lawsuits against tech companies are on the rise
•From Twitter to Microsoft (and beyond) tech companies are in the news for being sued by older workers
•What‟s more, from documented evidence gathered in the Google/Apple/Adobe „anti-poaching‟ lawsuit we know there is tech industry collusion on hiring policy at the C-Level
•Beyond that kind open CEO to CEO collusion (some would call it HR ‘racketeering‟), there is widespread HR profiling of over-40 workers going on
•Profiling designed to filter out older workers from jobs at startups and new divisions/LOBs of established companies
•We use the term ‘graylisting’ to describe this profiling
8/21/2014
50 SHADES OF GRAYLISTED

3. 50 Shades of Graylisted
•Here‟s our guide to the many code words & code phrases used by HR staff in Big Tech, Big Incubator & Big VC to graylist you over-40’s out of a job
•If you see these 50 „shades‟ in a job posting, or hear them said to you across a desk at an interview, you may want to contact us and join our social network
•We‟re sure there‟s many more examples, & we hope you‟ll share your experience at Graylisted.Org, the anti-ageism community
8/21/2014
50 SHADES OF GRAYLISTED

4. 1 Young people are just smarter. Facebook CEO (OK. Even we admit there‟s not much „code‟ there. We just wanted you to see what in-your-face, out of the closet age discrimination against over-40 workers looks like. By the way, this is from the same guy that runs digital lab rat research & „skinner box marketing‟ on his own users and customers, i.e. the „Facebook Experiment‟. So you may want to connect a few dots here regarding the ethics of high profile „digital revolution rock stars‟.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

5. 2 Our culture drives our recruitment policy. (Many manifestations of ageism are wrapped inside a „culture‟ wrapper. This is a clever approach to graylisting so startups and new initiatives of Big Tech players can appear not to be violating age discrimination law. A sober, common sense alternative to „culture‟ in hiring policy would be end to end stakeholder value creation based on hiring the best people. Gee. That‟s a really old-fashioned and out-dated concept. Something some over-40 type would believe.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

6. 3 Our shared vision drives our hiring policy. (Vision is another way of saying culture comes first. Translation: „Of course you old „dotfogeys‟ don‟t share our vision. If you did, you probably would have had it yourselves years ago…right.‟)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

7. 4 Our employees drive our company culture. (Translation: We‟ve „democratized‟ ageism. It‟s bottoms up, not top down. Earth to HR. The law is the law. Discrimination against over-40 tech, IT and business professionals can not be defended in court with a „mob rule‟ or „everybody bought in‟ argument. Talk to an attorney if you hear this line of graylisting policy defense. )
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

8. 5 We require commitment to our company values. (Values is another graylisting code word. It‟s one more way to define who is in and who is out without regard to „best qualified to do the job.‟)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

9. 6 Cultural fit is an intangible attribute. (Translation. We are above the law. If anyone says we‟re ageist then we say keep repeating „cultural fit‟ over and over like some bad branding mantra.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

10. 7 We find entry level hires have a better chance of being integrated into our processes. (Translation: Jobs are often re-defined as „entry level‟ in order to screen out older workers with families who may have to go home at a decent hour to care for their children.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

11. 8 Millennials are more comfortable completing a pre-hire „challenge assignment‟. (Translation. If you don‟t do all this free work for us---the „challenge assignment‟---on the front end of the hiring process, it means you are probably older and not going to fit in to many of our other dysfunctional processes--some of which have been known to drive some of our younger workers to burnout & suicide attempts.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

12. 9 …Must repudiate conventional business models and be comfortable with disruption. (Translation: If you don‟t buy in to our cult belief system on the issue of business models and the theory of „disruption‟, it is de facto evidence that you are old and irrelevant. Graylisted.Org Fact: Microsoft, Google, Adobe, Vmware, RedHat and others all partnered with established companies in their startup phase and did not practice market „disruption‟. This form of graylisting is often an indicator that VCs are the real shot-callers in the startup and don‟t accommodate other points of view in management.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

13. 10 Experienced in new „lean startup‟ models. (Translation: If you don‟t buy into concepts like „Minimum Viable Product‟ which advocates the use of early customers as guinea pigs and crash test dummies for unbaked technologies, apps or web services (and which our VCs swear by because they control cash burn) then take a hike, Mike.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

14. 11 We have a „flat‟ team model. (Translation: If you‟re older, and have seen things that don‟t work destroy other companies in the past, please keep your hierarchical management ideas to yourself. We‟re a „flat‟ team and we‟re committed to making our own mistakes no matter what the outcome. After all, it‟s not our money.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

15. 12 We have a „work hard, play hard‟ culture. (Translation: Despite our values, vision, and flat team model, attendance at Happy Hour at the local watering hole is mandatory. Too bad if you have to go home. Some of our best brainstorming happens at the bar and we can always use Uber to get home if we‟re drunk on our asses.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

16. 13 We hire fast learners who get shit done. (Yes, this is from an actual job posting. Hint: Incorporating the word „shit‟ into a job ad is designed to filter out the over-40 dotfogeys who hold the quaint belief that shit is something you flush. For more on the proper use of words like „shit‟, see any blog posting quoting a „gangsta rapper‟ from Ben Horowitz of the Andreessen Horowitz VC firm. PS: Make sure your kids are not looking over your shoulder when you do.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

17. 14 We‟re a close-knit team of individuals. (Translation: „Close knit‟ is another form of ageism democratization‟ Close knit can be code for many forms of discrimination including „He‟s not from India so we can‟t use him‟ or „She‟s almost 50. She‟ll never pull an all-nighter‟.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

18. 15 We prioritize new hires with a positive and collaborative attitude. (Translation: We talk a good game about „game changing‟ everything but we‟re really just a new form of digital economy conformists….kind of like the 21st century equivalent of the Red Guard in the Chinese Cultural Revolution who put dunce caps on their older „comrades‟ who were not all that „positive‟ and „collaborative‟.
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

19. 16 Our work ethic and high standards dictate our new hires. (Translation: „Work ethic‟ is code for working to the point of exhaustion and „high standards‟ means anybody who doesn‟t buy in to this addictive and dysfunctional work model.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

20. 17 We demand that our team members be passionate about helping people. (Translation: „Helping people‟ means everybody except you, who reminds the CEO of his parents. „Demand‟ means „follow our causes‟ or else.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

21. 18 Do you love technology? Does it inspire you? (Translation: We are technology religionists, or worse, outright technology fetishists and code-supremacists. Building a successful business that delivers value to customers and stakeholders is secondary. Why? Because we can always be „aqui-hired‟ for our development skillset even if we fail. After all, „developers are the new kingmakers‟, right.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

22. 19 We‟re in a millennial-focused market. (At last. Something approximating the open embrace of ageism we saw with „Younger people are just smarter‟. By justifying age discrimination based on the „target market‟, many startups believe they can skirt age discrimination laws.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

23. 20 Overqualified hires are not a good fit. (Can‟t forget that old standard form of age discrimination. „You‟re over-qualified.‟)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

24. 21 We provide in-house ping pong, foosball, frisbee golf & epic holiday parties. (“Yeah baby”…says Austin Powers, international man of mystery. If you see this in a job ad, immediately cut and paste the photos of every individual on the management team for your attorney. To get to the interview stage, turn your LinkedIn photo into a cartoon.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

25. 22 We have a Kegerator on site. (Hint: You have absolutely no chance of getting hired by this company if you had to look up the word „Kegerator‟ on Google. You‟d have a better chance applying to be a starting quarterback in the NFL or editor in chief of the New York Times.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

26. 23 We love dogs. We‟re a dog-friendly work place. (See previous answer re: Kegerator and note for the record that you would have to travel to Tibet to see an ad that reads “We‟re a wise older person friendly work place.”
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

27. 24 „Dear badass marketing ninja….‟ (Yes again. This is an actual ad headline. Does this really need translation? PS: In the traditions of the ninja, stealth and concealment were valued, not the celebration of being a „badass‟. OK grasshopper.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

28. 25 We look for folks with their best years in front of them. (At last. More refreshingly honest age discrimination. Cut, paste, see attorney and record the interview if you can… Kind of like a Comcast customer service call.
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

29. 26 We‟re looking for candidates with career growth potential. (Drumroll. That‟s two back to back graylisting red flags…sorry for the mixed color metaphor but graylisting does make people see red.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

30. 27 We look for new hires with lots of career runway in front of them. (More naked ageism. That‟s three in a row. Anytime you see terms like „runway‟, „wheelhouse‟, or other new age managerial weasel words, rest assured that the HR leadership are well-trained ageists.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

31. 28 Are you still early in your career arc? (Career arc. As in fictional story arc. We thought this one deserved its own slide. Very sophisticated. And we hope that lots of age discrimination law firms will sponsor our social network for helping crack the ageism code in tech hiring.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

32. 29 We promote flexible people. (Don‟t bother if you‟re over-40. By definition you are not flexible. But apply anyway and then join Graylisted.Org as a charter member.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

33. 30 We‟re looking for high energy individuals. (No. Consuming 3 Red Bulls in a half hour does not count. Don‟t worry, be happy. We‟re also looking for high energy individuals. To join us in our fight against age discrimination in tech and startup hiring.
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

34. 31 Nimble, agile managers….that‟s what we look for. (Nimble and agile go along with runway and wheelhouse in the pantheon of new weasel words used to screen out over-40 professionals. FYI, we‟ve got lots of runway available for you if anti-ageism is in your wheelhouse and you‟re nimble and agile enough to want to fight it.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

35. 32 Can you roll with the changes? (Obviously not. You‟ve only survived until your early fifties and put 2 kids through college. So just come to terms with the fact that you need lots of foosball and Kegerator output to keep rolling with those changes. Or maybe you just need to be a member of Graylisted.Org and hire a good anti-discrimination attorney.
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

36. 33 Seasoned professionals often have adjustment issues. (It‟s true. We do. We don‟t adjust well to age discrimination on the job or in hiring.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

37. 34 We‟ve had bad experiences with individuals too close to retirement? (If you‟re hearing this it means you‟ve probably made it into an interview with a department manager who has not been briefed on the more open manifestations of age discrimination. This might be the time to smile and say “If you don‟t mind I‟d still like to write you a nice follow up email documenting our discussion…you know, for future reference.”)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

38. 35 We are innovators who reject the old style of IT. (Translation: We are now in the age of digital transformation, cloud/mobile distributed application architectures and IT-as-a-service. We‟re not really convinced your 20 years of experience in enterprise computing is relevant to us so we want to hire many more foreign workers on H1B visas.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

39. 36 We need an ROI on our investment in training? (And by implication, you‟re too old to yield that ROI, so sayonara.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

40. 37 We find that contractors are a more efficient use of working capital. (Translation: We‟re outsourcing our development and support operations to another country, and bringing in even more H1B visa holders that we expect you to train in our internal processes.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

41. 38 Talk to your college room mate. We offer a bounty for developer referrals from your social network. (The bounty for new hires is a clever way to skirt age discrimination law. How many 40-somethings does a 20-something hang out with and will refer in to a job opportunity. It‟s the social networking equivalent of democratizing ageism.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

42. 39 We‟re all-in with cloud & mobile and that drives our hiring policy. (The 50-something QA worker that filed the law suit against Microsoft was in the Azure cloud group. Read the news reports on her deposition. The verbal abuse she faced is a horror story.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

43. 40 We‟re looking for reps with experience in selling SaaS subscription models. (Translation: That personal prospect rolodex you built up over the past 20 years selling 6-figure systems has no value to us. We have a SaaS subscription model and you don‟t have a background in SaaS.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

44. 41 The internet of things is a paradigm shift and we focus on recruiting the game-changers. (In any new technology category or category „hype cycle‟, ageism is always right around the corner. Terms like „paradigm shift‟ and „game change‟ are often code for „Over 40 need not apply‟.
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

45. 42 Millennials are very comfortable with the new „wearables‟ opportunity. (We know. Over 40‟s often walk around not wearing anything or are made fun of in Google Glass focus groups.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

46. 43 Are you DevOps proficient? (In the age of cloud, development and deployment operations are converging. Update your skill set but don‟t allow your years of experience to be marginalized in the name of new process models.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

47. 44 Startup looking for wild full stack engineer (Hint. Ask them to define „wild‟ and see if you get a call back.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

48. 45 We‟re looking for folks who eat sleep and breathe games. (Do we really need to explain this one.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

49. 46 Work isn't "work" to us - it's a place where we get together as a team and do what we enjoy. (If there‟s a pay check and taxes involved, it‟s work---and you‟re covered by the law.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

50. 47 With this company, you wouldn't be starting a new job; you would be joining a family. (Unless of course you already have a family. Then it‟s a job and you‟ll have to choose between your family at home and your family at work.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

51. 48 Love working with other very smart people that have personalities. This is not a "code in a dark corner alone" job (You know you‟re over 40 if your first thought upon reading the above was “Where can I find a dark corner to hide from all these „personalities‟ that look at me like a Martian.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

52. 49 Be a talent magnet (This is another shade of the „bounty‟ approach to democratizing ageism. The implication is clear. HR is not a function of HR staff, but is everybody‟s job. Up to a point. If „social networking‟ applied to recruitment locks in age discrimination as the operating culture of a company, you‟re about to get on the radar of Graylisted.Org for a class action lawsuit.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

53. 50 We first have to fix our tech diversity problem. What you‟re talking about with ageism is all about old white men. (Translation: We‟re going to keep on practicing age discrimination by pitting folks against each other. Graylisted.Org supports and partners with all groups and communities fighting employment discrimination.)
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted

54. Seriously though….
8/21/2014
50 Shades of Graylisted
Tech graylisting is driven by 3 things
•Big Tech layoffs, as corporations ‘restructure’ in the age of cloud, moving operations offshore or into 3rd party data centers
•An artificial worker ‘shortage’ designed by lobbyists to provide the green light for more lower cost H1B workers
•The ‘cultural fit’ mantra of the new breed of startups fostered by globalist VCs & incubators

55. 8/21/2014

56. Thank You For Your Interest
Follow us on Twitter @Graylisted
If You Oppose Ageism, Request a Charter Member Invitation Below
http://graylisted.org