A Silent Bias   

IF

you’re middle-aged or older, and you’re job hunting, prepare for an uphill battle. If you’re middle-aged and older and you’re job hunting in an industry that sells products associated with style and image, get ready for a hard reality check.

My mother moved to a different city, and one of the first things she did after settling in was job hunt. She’d worked for many years at a high-end home goods store, and she was good at what she did.

My mother always had flair. She decorated our whole house on her own, down to the last detail.

Everything she does is tasteful and elegant. She knows how to set a beautiful table. She knows the perfect gift you need to take for your hostess. She knows how to choose the right glasses to complement your Shabbos dishes. At the store where she worked, she was able to size up every customer and show her the dishes and tableware that worked for her aesthetic. She knows all the brands and patterns. She’s also really good at forging a connection with people, which makes her a really good salesperson.