Mature Workers

Mature Workers
Editor's Note
You worked your whole life. You occupied senior positions within your respective organisations. You trained people below you and maybe even mentored some. All that has changed. You now are looking for work. You are being interviewed by people younger than you. You are applying to positions below your level of competency, yet are having difficulty landing a job. This is the new economy. Workers no longer work at the same place until they retire. Nothing is for granted any longer. Some questions that may go through your mind: How to avoid age discrimination? Don't mention your age and avoid writing things in your resume or cover letter that will give hints about your age. If your resume shows that you've been working for 40 years, like it or not, you may become victim of age discrimination, even before having a chance to prove yourself. Ask yourself if your earlier experience is worth mentioning or whether there is a way to structure your resume in a functional manner to emphasize your skills. Have white hair? How about colouring them if it will make you feel better about yourself? Have a wardrobe that gives away your age? Maybe you should go shopping for some new clothes. Do what you can to blend in, as opposed to standing out. How to overcome age discrimination? Age discrimination is not insurmountable. If for some reason you feel that you may be the victim of age discrimination, ask yourself whether you want to be the victim or whether you want to fight to prove wrong whoever discriminates against you. Discrimination is just a perception. You can either confirm the other person's perception or you can negate that perception. The power is in your hands so don't feel helpless. As a measure of last resort, keep in mind that if you feel an organisation discriminates against age, you can simply apply somewhere else. The world is large and opportunities are everywhere. You may encounter some bad experiences, but don't let some bad apples taint your outlook on things. How to fight that perception that you are at the end of the road? By being a fighter and being prepared. You cannot feel discouraged. Don't feel sorry for yourself. How to compete against people half your age? Don't focus on age. Age is only one aspect of a person. We are multifaceted, so why look at things from only one angle? How to leverage your strengths? Know your strengths and know how to market your strengths. How to show you are technology proficient? If you are, then make sure to use the right language when you talk about technology. If you're not, then take some lessons to put you on par with the others. How to battle your ego? Ego is something that people fabricate to protect their self-esteem. Don't feel that people are judging you because they probably are not. Further, the more you feel that way, the more you will become defensive and hard to relate to. That's not how you will land a job. Forget about your ego, do what you need to do. You hate applying for jobs and attending job interviews? Get a job fast and you won't have to deal with that anymore.

Editor's Note

You worked your whole life. You occupied senior positions within your respective organisations. You trained people below you and maybe even mentored some. All that has changed. You now are looking for work. You are being interviewed by people younger than you. You are applying to positions below your level of competency, yet are having difficulty landing a job. This is the new economy. Workers no longer work at the same place until they retire. Nothing is for granted any longer.

Some questions that may go through your mind:

How to avoid age discrimination? Don't mention your age and avoid writing things in your resume or cover letter that will give hints about your age. If your resume shows that you've been working for 40 years, like it or not, you may become victim of age discrimination, even before having a chance to prove yourself. Ask yourself if your earlier experience is worth mentioning or whether there is a way to structure your resume in a functional manner to emphasize your skills. Have white hair? How about colouring them if it will make you feel better about yourself? Have a wardrobe that gives away your age? Maybe you should go shopping for some new clothes. Do what you can to blend in, as opposed to standing out.
How to overcome age discrimination? Age discrimination is not insurmountable. If for some reason you feel that you may be the victim of age discrimination, ask yourself whether you want to be the victim or whether you want to fight to prove wrong whoever discriminates against you. Discrimination is just a perception. You can either confirm the other person's perception or you can negate that perception. The power is in your hands so don't feel helpless. As a measure of last resort, keep in mind that if you feel an organisation discriminates against age, you can simply apply somewhere else. The world is large and opportunities are everywhere. You may encounter some bad experiences, but don't let some bad apples taint your outlook on things.
How to fight that perception that you are at the end of the road? By being a fighter and being prepared. You cannot feel discouraged. Don't feel sorry for yourself.
How to compete against people half your age? Don't focus on age. Age is only one aspect of a person. We are multifaceted, so why look at things from only one angle?
How to leverage your strengths? Know your strengths and know how to market your strengths.
How to show you are technology proficient? If you are, then make sure to use the right language when you talk about technology. If you're not, then take some lessons to put you on par with the others.
How to battle your ego? Ego is something that people fabricate to protect their self-esteem. Don't feel that people are judging you because they probably are not. Further, the more you feel that way, the more you will become defensive and hard to relate to. That's not how you will land a job. Forget about your ego, do what you need to do. You hate applying for jobs and attending job interviews? Get a job fast and you won't have to deal with that anymore.