Ricorrentemente i lettori mi portano a riflettere sull’età; in genere il problema mi viene proposto in termini negativi. L’altro giorno ho parlato con uno chef di cucina quarantenne che mi illustrava i risultati ottenuti da due diverse inserzioni pubblicate, aggiungendo: quando ho messo l’inserzione senza indicare l’età le risposte avute sono state numerose, la volta successiva ho messo l’età e ho avuto una sola risposta; proseguiva poi con riflessioni relative alla consuetudine da parte delle aziende di cercare personale con esperienza, però giovanissimo. Pochi giorni prima mi aveva telefonato un direttore che essendo in contrasto con la sua azienda non intendeva comunque lasciare la direzione in considerazione dell’età: a 55 anni, diceva, dove troverei più un impiego?
Questo, in genere, è lo stato d’animo di chi non è più giovanissimo, ma si lamenta anche chi giovane lo è davvero; il food and beverage venticinquenne, che ha seguito con successo il corso, si lamenta perché, malgrado l’impegno nello studio le aziende cercano persone più mature, con più esperienza.
Ce n’è per tutti, dal mio osservatorio posso dire che la realtà ha molte sfaccettature e che esistono, con diverse caratteristiche, spazi lavorativi sia per i giovani sia per i meno giovani; bisogna evitare di vivere questa condizione come causa delle difficoltà che comunque, tutti, sempre, incontriamo nel corso dell’attività lavorativa.
Lo spirito per affrontare la professione, senza considerare l’età, forse lo può sintetizzare la mail che ho ricevuto recentemente da St. Louis, Usa, che trascrivo in inglese, come l’ho ricevuta, perché ritengo possa rendere maggiormente il senso: Gentlemen, I am a retired food service executive with management experience of hotel restaurants and private clubs and would like to know if you could instruct me how to find a part-time job in a fine hotel del Sud, probably in Calabria. I am 74 years old and very active. I have more than 30 years of experience in food service management, including hotel restaurants and private club. Looking forward to hearing from you. I speak Italian, English, and have a knowledge of French and Spanish languages. Best regards.
The best age for working
Our readers have repeatedly invited me to reflect on the issue of age, generally viewed in a negative perspective. The other day I spoke with a forty-year old kitchen chef, who explained to me the results he achieved through two different advertisements he published, and added: “when I placed the ad without mentioning my age I received a great number of answers; when I specified my age the following time, I only received one.” He then continued commenting on employers’ habit to seek experienced personnel, but very young. A few days before I had received a phone call from a hotel director who was at loggerheads with his employer, but nonetheless did not intend to leave his post in consideration of his age. “At age fifty – he said – where could I possibly find another job?”.
This is generally the sentiment of those who are no longer very young, but even those who are young will complain; the twenty-five year old who has successfully attended the food and beverage course will lament the fact that – in spite of his preparation – companies prefer to recruit more mature and experienced staff.
No age is going to be left out. From my vantage point as an observer I can say that reality is multi-faceted, and job opportunities exist – with different characteristics -for both the young and the not-so-young; we should refrain from perceiving and blaming age as the cause of the difficulties we all – inevitably – encounter during our careers.
The correct attitude towards a person’s profession, regardless of age, can be best summarised by an email I recently received from St. Louis, USA, which I am reporting in English as it was written, because I believe it most expressive: “Gentlemen, I am a retired food service executive with management experience of hotel restaurants and private clubs and would like to know if you could instruct me how to find a part-time job in a fine hotel del Sud, probably in Calabria. I am 74 years old and very active. I have more than 30 years of experience in food service management, including hotel restaurants and private club. Looking forward to hearing from you. I speak Italian, English, and have a knowledge of French and Spanish languages. Best regards.”
by Antonio Caneva
Translation of the Italian
editorial by Paola Praloran
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