CAREER COACH

GO TO GREG

My husband is 64 years old and a part-time actor and model who has also worked off and on in the restaurant business for many years. Last year, he worked for a restaurant in Manhattan where the manager knew him from his previous restaurant work. The restaurant has an outdoor bar and at the end of the season he told my husband that he’d look forward to rehiring him when it reopened. When my husband returned, the manager was happy to see him but said that he was no longer doing the scheduling and that he would put in a good word for him. However, the new hiring manager was noncommittal and my husband left feeling uneasy. The original manager had said numerous times what a good employee he is, so why is there even a question about rehiring him? Could age discrimination be a factor, since his work at this place has garnered nothing but praise?

A model and actor who also works in the restaurant business part-time — hmm, I’ve just never encountered that employment situation before. . . OK, while that is a familiar plot, the subplot here is a serious matter and allegation. I completely understand why you are asking the question and why this thought has occurred to you, and it may even be true. Listen, if he isn’t hired, there is nothing preventing him from filing a claim. However, the facts as you describe them don’t prove age discrimination and without any other supporting evidence like comments about age, or the hiring profile of everyone else on the staff, that makes it tough to prove. Even if they did praise him highly, there is no guarantee of employment. There’s a new hiring manager and presumably new applicants for the available shifts. I’m not saying age discrimination doesn’t occur, but chronological age is often less of a factor than people think. How one presents and carries themselves is more important, particularly in a highly consumer-facing industry like hospitality. Bars and restaurants all over town have servers across a diverse spectrum, including age. Given your husband’s credentials and experience, I’ve no doubt he’ll land a role — if not at this restaurant, then another.

Gregory Gian grande is a chief human resources and communications officer in the media industry. E-mail your career questionstogotogreg@nypost.com. Follow Greg on Twitter: @gregg ian grande. His Goto Greg podcast series is available a ti Tunes.