An Orphan Up For Adoption

It's been over two years at my current job. And now, I'm trying (very hard actually) for a new gig within my current company and outside. Since the beginning of February, I have had 6 interviews, which includes 2 within the current company I work for.

Interviewing as an experienced hire is very different from the kind of interviewing that one goes through out of college. While people look for smarts and intellect in college hires, in experienced hires, they look for the kind of work one's done, for how long and most importantly the kind of impact and results that one's work has created. Somehow, all these criteria become linked with how old a particular individual is.

One of the obstacles that I constantly come across is age. At nearly 25, I am the youngest person on my current team. But the experience that I have come to acquire in the past two plus years makes me a good fit for jobs where there are 40 year olds in the fray too. Blatant age discrimination, but you know how people put a PC spin on things.

I went to interview for a job a couple of weeks ago in the bay area. Everything went fine, and then someone asked me how old I was. I looked at the person and smiled, while trying to frame my answer within a set of complex disclaimers and "if-but" statements. It really doesnt matter to us, but you look too young. And then I said it, I am going to be 25 this year. There, no ifs, no buts, the honest truth.

We're looking for more organizational maturity (read older person) and more direct experience with VC markets. Yesterday, that was the first response that I got. From a recruiter at the venture capital firm in the bay area. There are probably 5 more emails such as that one, with similar reasons with my name on them and are floating around somewhere.

I was out last night and had dinner with a friend. She said, currently with the changes at work, I feel like a child without my parents. Heh, I muttered, you think that's bad. I feel like an orphan who's up for adoption, who's been on the line up several times, and no ones wants him. Everyone loves the bio, but when they see the child in person, the child just isnt pretty enough.

Awww. You poor thing you, she said. We'll call you Annie from now on. Both of us laughed. Because really, that's the best spin to put on such things.