50+ Job Seekers: Overcoming (Your Own) Age Bias

By choice or circumstance, changing jobs — or even shifting careers — can be an exciting process.

It can also feel challenging, particularly if you’re in the growing group of job seekers over 50.

Whether you steadily held a job since your 20s or teens, or took some time to travel, raise children, or care for an ill or aging family member … succeeding in today’s job market requires having the right mindset — especially concerning age.

Getting older doesn’t make you “old.” Read that again.

Whatever the number, why let it take center stage?

It’s easy to waste energy worrying about your age, but far more effective to focus on staying relevant, honing your skills, expanding your network, and being able to communicate the value you’ll add to a company or organization.

“Why Would Anyone Hire ME?”

As Henry Ford wisely said, “Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right.”

If you believe your age will be a problem, it probably will be. It will show up in your posture, your facial expressions, your voice, words, and interactions, as soon as you enter the room.

Instead, put a positive spin on the question, “Why would anyone hire me?”

Why wouldn’t they want to? Think about how your strengths and expertise could contribute to the organization’s goals. Highlight ways in which your background has prepared you to help them tackle current challenges. Show your prospective employer that you’re ready to jump in and contribute in a way that matches their needs.

Check in with yourself to ensure your relevance. Are your skills up to date? Learning a new skill or brushing up on one you already have (but may have rusted from lack of use) could help remove obstacles in your candidacy. Read requirements of job posts and talk to people in the field to learn what tools you may need to add to your toolbox.

Fortunately, online courses like Lynda.com (now LinkedIn Learning) can be accessed for free on your computer through most public libraries. Other free sites like Coursera, GCFGlobal, TED Talks, even YouTube make it easier to fill gaps and demonstrate you’re a lifelong learner committed to staying current. And Udemy offers over 100,000 classes, many for as little as $11.99.

Sites like these make investing in yourself and your marketability a wise and easy one.

Kicking Ageism to the Curb Starts with You

In today’s workplace, it’s not uncommon to see four generations working alongside one another.

Still, ageism is real. While one of the hardest ‘isms to prove, it’s probably the next and hopefully final frontier, one that some inclusion and diversity initiatives are at last beginning to address.

It’s possible that if you’re meeting with a 30-year-old manager who is (covertly) committed to an under-40 team, you may not change his/her/their mind(s). It may not be fair, but it happens. The truth is, if they don’t want you on the team, you wouldn’t be happy working there.

There’s also reverse ageism. How will you greet an interviewer or report to a new boss who’s significantly younger than you?

Thoughts like, “Wow, she’s younger than my daughter,” or “I could be his father — or grandfather!” will be evident even when unspoken. They deserve better. They want to be taken seriously and respected, as you do. Better to demonstrate this by showing your enthusiasm to partner and collaborate with them for amazing results.

You can acknowledge that ageism is a thing. But you don’t have to buy into — or perpetuate — it. Experiment with pushing it aside.

Show Up and Shine

Many factors are beyond your control. But you can always control how you show up for a job interview. Being prepared will help you show up as a relevant, competent contender for the job. Someone they’ll want on the team.

Remember the fine line between confident and cocky. A know-it-all attitude is a turnoff, no matter what age. Keep in mind that in addition to what you already know, there is always more to learn.

We live in fast-changing times. There are professional opportunities emerging that didn’t exist 5 years ago. Have you researched industry outlooks? The Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook is a great place to start. What excites you? What do you want to be a part of? What are you willing to do to get there?

With change comes vibrance. Embrace that energy. Use it to propel yourself toward that exciting opportunity you want to own.

By this point in your life and work, you’ve amassed knowledge, experience, and humor. These are great gifts. Weave them into your personal brand where appropriate.

And use them to launch what could be the best, most satisfying chapter in your career story.

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