Cast out at 60
At 60, Alain Balaguer still “wants to work for 5 or 7 years”. It must be said that he works on large projects of technological transformation of companies and is not bored. So when he feels that the tide is turning at his former employer (Atos), he responds to requests from headhunters.
His goal ? A less hierarchical and more functional position and preferably not in a large CAC company. “The change cycle there is too fast, sometimes every 3 or 6 months. In a smaller structure, changes are slower, so there is more serenity in the projects. Not to be confused with comfort because the technological challenges are numerous”, he specifies.
With his 25 years spent in telecoms and services, added to 6 years in industry, he has accumulated technical and managerial expertise that the market is tearing up today.
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Recruited without restraint on his age
He is therefore hunted for a job of program director at Fujitsu France (300 people). He goes through interviews with a headhunter, then with his future N+1, functional employees of pre-sales and cloud services, HR. At the end, he asks to speak with his future head of department.
We got to know each other immediately and discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the position to be filled. It was never a question of age in the recruitment process but of my know-how, my skills and my interpersonal skills.
Alain Balaguer, program director at Fujitsu France, since June 2022
The reputedly stressful position does not scare him. On the contrary, his experience has enabled him to better master work under pressure. An advantage over younger candidates.
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An experienced salary
In terms of salary, he first declined an offer equal to his previous compensation to ask for +10%. What arguments did he put forward?
” None. My request was that and was non-negotiable. I knew my market value based on my experience,” he adds.
An “ideal” senior who has refined his employability
Today, his age is, according to him, an asset in everyday life.
I command a little more respect than others, I am listened to more and I have easy access to top managers and everyone knows it.
To remain employable throughout his career, Alain Balaguer never stopped questioning himself. He has for example changed function every 3 years internally and when no other evolution was possible, he went through the “external mobility” box.
It also passed certifications on the project mode, the agile method, the cloud… and recently mobilized his personal training account (CPF) to increase his skills in English, the working language at Fujitsu.
Training is the key to employability, otherwise time passes and the market changes but without you
Alain Balaguer is also a network man for over 30 years. He gives advice, meets regularly with peers… “if ever I needed to seize another opportunity”. This sexagenarian is also still in the small papers of headhunters, even if he admits to being generally quite faithful to his employers.
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An example of a post shared with his network: