Do Firms Want Secretaries Who Get the Job Done or Secretaries Who Look Good Doing It? Aging in the Workplace

It happens to the best of us.

And while I'm not sure when I first became aware of it, I'm fairly certain that once you reach the ripe old age of 40 it starts to peek at you in one form or another.

Many of us "seasoned secretaries" (like myself) may have been too busy working hard to actually take note of the first time they realized that some of their attorneys don't just want the job done, they want someone who looks "perfect" doing it.  Unfortunately, we can't have everything we want.

Now, I'm going to go ahead and play the gender card here - this is much more common among male attorneys than female.  Although, women attorneys don't get a complete pass.

However, the minute your roots begin to show, ageism starts to take root.

We all know that the role of the legal secretary has changed drastically over the years, but skills are skills.  And as long as I have them, I plan to use them.

So, if you don't mind my grey hair, I'm going to get to work.