Are you worried how YOUR age might be affecting your ability to find a job? Consider these 5 tips to help you succeed!
Get Rid of that Old Stuff, eliminate experience more than 10 years old off your resume or any online form, as well as the dates you attended college. Instead, emphasize your current skills, with tangible examples, and how these match the needs of the job. Think of what is important to that potential job and what should you highlight on your resume. I used this free site to help with mine if you need any resume help. It's a great resource. https://www.wozber.com/us/guidebook/tag/resume/
Talk to Everyone!!, meeting and connecting with people is not only extremely important it’s extremely useful. If you aren’t on LinkedIn already consider making a free profile. Each time you have a potential job interview connect with that person and potentially those who work there. This will help you grow and meet others. When you are networking have a business card handy too with your updated contact info!
Practice Makes Perfect, before your interview make sure to practice. Especially because you are just getting back into the working world, this is so important! Have a friend or family member ask you a few questions so you feel comfortable when the actual interviews do occur. It might seem ridiculous at first, but it’s important to get use to speaking about yourself in a high-pressure situation. An interview is the time where you connect with the employer, sell yourself and show that you have the energy, passion, and excitement necessary to do the job. You’ll have to work a little harder than those younger competitors to show that you’ll fit in, so be sure to think carefully about how you want to be perceived. It will be worth it! Then make sure to practice, practice, practice! Learn from past interviews, what went well and what didn’t? How can you improve for the next time?
Think Skills Not Age, don’t focus on your age entirely, but don’t completely avoid the topic either. Instead of thinking of how you can defend how old you are, use concrete examples of your competencies and skills to show how you have a leg up on younger applicants. Ask yourself, how does MY past experience fit into what THEY do now? Support the reasons about why they need to hire you versus the younger competition. What does your experience provide that someone else say who has only been doing the job for 2 years?
Show them you’re a Digital Native, consider taking some online courses to brush up on things or to learn new information if you need to. Employers will love that you are staying current and it will show initiative that you are self educating. Lynda.com is a FANTASTIC place to do this. It’s affordable and easy. You watch videos and learn at your own pace and they have courses on just about everything and anything you can imagine. I just finished a course on SEO last week that I loved! I hope these have helped and I wish you the very best on your job hunt. Just remember that you are a quality candidate and it is a major plus that you have more experience, not less.
Has anyone faced Ageism and how did you overcome it?
This is very good advice. Do focus on the skills and how they support your ability to achieve success. In your interview identify why you are the best candidate for position.
I interviewed with a company that was well known to be one of the best workplaces for millennials. They even proudly displayed this fact on their website. Although I was more than qualified for the position, had just left a job requiring similar skills and daily tasks, and the initial interview went very well, I was informed in just 2 days that I would not be asked to return for the next step in the interview process because there was someone "more qualified" selected (although there were several candidates which were going through the process and only a portion were to be chosen for the next step). A decision would not be made until after the 3rd & final step in the process... which was to have taken at least a week or more... and I was the final candidate to go through the first step and no one had been selected for the next step at the time I interviewed. I firmly believe it was mainly because I am not a millennial, but there is no way to prove this nor the age discrimination l feel of which I was a victim.
I too am still alive after similar problems.
What is this all this stuff about age. I got divorced at 54 lost my job because I managed his companies. Went back to school got a Associate degree and worked my way up to an analyst position for a major Healthcare co. Now I am not saying it was easy but I accomplished it with hard work. I took some hits for my age but hung in there and proved my worth. I had to work 8 temp jobs to get a regular full time job. So I guess what I am saying is we can do it. I am now working on my Bachelors Degree paid for by my employer.
I agree with your suggestions, and being an older worker it is great advice. Changed my resume as you suggested, I am starting to get a few more bites! I also agree, that ageism can be problematic for anyone.
I agree with most of this, I agree ageism does exist but at any age. I also agree creating a LinkedIn profile is important but I wouldn’t add people before the interview. I do suggest following the company because then they could see you’ve done some research. On a more enjoyable note the movie the Intern I love it. I truly believe everyone had something to offer know matter your age. Collaboration with a variety of background, age, sex, etc is how companies become great.
I have never personally experienced this, but my friend is currently. She is 55 and had been working as a secretary for the last 15 years at a dental office. Well....the business sold and she was let go. Although she HAS the skills with tech stuff like computers, phones, etc... she can NOT get hired. She has even taken some recent computer ed courses to up her game a bit and she is just really frustrated. She doesn't want to blame her age, but what else could it be? How can I help her???
There seems to be A LOT of "I can't find a job because I am over this age" going around here. I see it all the time! I think that's so untrue, you CAN find a job. It just depends on how you 1- present yourself in your resume (I agree with Ashley) and 2- present yourself in your interview. If you can't show that your skills match up with the skills of the job it won't matter if you're 102 or 22!
Think first before you apply if you are capable and HOW you can show them that!
See now here's my issue..... I understand what you are trying to get across here. But look, Reginald finishing highschool in 1976 on or off my resume makes no difference when you fill out that application in the face to face interviews. It reads....."DID YOU GRADUATE HIGHSCHOOL" Yes or No, and WHAT YR. City and state. Then it goes on to say College/university attended.... DID YOU GRADUATE.... Yes/No.... Yrs attended and courses studied and Major..... I'm not picking but even for the Vet it reads ARE YOU A VETERAN.... War served, rank, type of DISCHARGE..... What's your point here..... Ageism means go back to school and UPGRADE your skills..... See you can't finish highschool in 1975 and did not do anything else from that time till now. Ageism means that if you plan to keep up in the work force attend your local community college and trade school. See let us not build false hopes here. Your date of birth on the permission for credit check/background and citizenship will be disclosed at some point. This is like me telling my patient with high blood pressure and diabetic issues that they'll be fine. I know that they won't be fine without some changes...... Or maybe telling me combat troops lets charge this hill then everyone will be going home... I know that someone is going to get shot and wounded or shot and killed. Tell the truth.... People must adjust, overcome, and success will follow. Sorry I can't get behind this one. Ageism means that you're going to look like a lie when you change your resume to not be truthful.
I feel I am one of those who is finding it hard to get a job now, just finished college and my career service is sending out resumes for me and I am also sending out my resumes. My younger classmates all have jobs after there 2-month externship and I have received no callbacks in 2-months. I am a Senior and I think this is my problem age so I love you that you decided t discuss this topic, thanks for the advice on the resume process.