Dealing with Employment Age Discrimination!

I routinely deal with clients that are past 50. In fact the oldest one that came to me was in his early 70s, looking for a new career. One thing that gets in their way of being a strong contender for any job is not so much their age, not so much how old they are, but how it affects their mindset. Many, who get passed over in the job-selection process convince themselves that their age got in the way of being the finalist.

The reverse happens with those on the other end of the spectrum. Those in the early 20s looking for a job often feel that they will not get selected because of their lack of experience. In fact I was somewhat taken aback when I conducted a seminar on this very topic, hoping to see mostly the “greying” crowd. In that audience more than half were people looking for a job in their early 20s facing the “same” problem!

Of the many countries U.S. is one of the very few, where job discrimination based on age, gender, and personal preferences is illegal. So, what this blog addresses may not apply to countries where such practices are routinely considered normal, even expected! For such geographies and cultures I have little to offer on this topic!

Let us first look at why age (past 50) gets in the way of an employment decision. There are a variety of reasons, so to overcome that disadvantage or perception of being too old to be considered a viable candidate use the following approaches:

1. Avoid direct references to chronology that betrays your age. For example, avoid graduation year or any reference to your early history that ties you to an era (e.g., “Helped the Warren Commission during investigation of the JFK assassination.”)
2. If your work history takes you prior to a period older than 20 years list your work history on your résumé as “Prior-1995.” List all preceding employers without any reference to years after this entry. Start your Profile Summary by writing: Over 20 years’ experience includes consulting, teaching, and working at non-profits.
3. In the résumé’s top Summary or Profile do not itemize all your stints by listing consecutive periods of employment, which can be easily added to the total number of years you have been in the workforce. So, after the most recent 15 or so years list any reference to prior employment as: Previous experience includes work in Germany, Middle East, and parts of Asia.
4. The same strategy works if you are seen as too young for a job: List all your previous work experience, including summer jobs, and internships in the same top part: Six years’ span includes work at Bechtel and the State Department as an intern. Observe how I skipped using “experience” in that last sentence to avoid any misrepresentation.  Your most recent work experience may just be two years after you graduated.
5. Use language that conveys energy, enthusiasm, and modern usage in your résumé and cover letter if you feel that you are competing with the youth market. Seek professional help to get the right message across.
6. In your LinkedIn network have a good mix of age groups affiliated with your work, so it is not easy for a reader to quickly deduce the era and age group to which you belong.
7. When you clear the résumé screening and are invited for an interview, make sure that you present yourself in an age-appropriate image. Do not try too hard to conceal your age by coloring your hair or wearing clothes and accessories that do not properly present you. Show energy and enthusiasm in all your personal interactions. Do not act in ways not consistent with your natural personality. On the flip side do not betray your age by overcompensating, either!
8. During the interview process it is possible that the interviewer sees you as too experienced or too senior for the role. When you detect that this is happening preempt the situation by saying to the interviewer: I may come across to you as overqualified for this job, but my rich experience will be a great asset to this role because I know how to work in the geographies in which job needs to create breakthrough results. If the hiring manager is much younger treat them as your equal, but with the due deference. You do not want to give an impression that you will be hard to work with because of the age difference.
9. The next barrier to your getting selected may be the high salary you expect as a result of your past history. This, too, can be diffused by preemption: I am so sure that I bring great value to this opportunity that I am willing to accept what you consider to be a fair pay for me and demonstrate my value quickly. To protect this argument make sure that in the initial screening interview you give the recruiter a broad range of your current (or last) salary.
10. Towards the end of the interview ask for a close and suggest that you would make a great addition to their team by addressing the hiring managers’ pain points head-on. Smile and shake hands!

Much of the success in getting qualified for any job rests on your ability to show your value to the decision maker. Replace age/length of experience with the value language and show that you are good team player because of what you bring to the team, not because of your seniority. It is all a mindset that you must hold to your advantage to present your age as just right for the open job, on its either side.

Good luck!