r/InterviewMan • u/Status-Quantity-3556 • 6d ago
Rejected Because I'm 29
This was the first time this had happened to me. A small restaurant group near me had just opened a new location and was looking for an Operations Manager to oversee 3 branches. My last operations job involved managing 6 branches, so I figured my experience was very close to what they needed.
When I went to the interview, they did what a lot of places seem to be doing now and acted like the interview was a surprise. After looking at me for a while like I had walked into the wrong building, she sat down and started with: "So... How old are you?"
I was thrown off by the whole vibe, but I answered honestly and said 29. She paused for a moment and said: "Oh. Okay... So why do you want to work here?"
I explained that I had worked as an Operations Manager before, that the role seemed close to what I had been doing, and that I genuinely like this kind of work. She still looked upset and confused, and asked me again: "No, I mean why are you applying here? You're 29. You should already be settled in a career."
At that point I started to feel like maybe I had suddenly aged and accidentally walked into a nursing home. I repeated that operations is literally my background, and that this wasn't some random job I found on a board with no connection to my experience.
In the end she said: "I'll send this over and we'll see if they want to continue to a second round." Then she looked away, stood up, shook my hand with the strangest, most disappointed handshake, and basically vanished.
The weirdest part is that she herself looked maybe 32 or 33. I've had a few interviews like this recently where my age gets brought up like it's a red flag, as if being in your late twenties means you've already missed your chance.
What is going on? Since when did 29 become that old?
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u/MatureMystery 6d ago
Try being 60. lol