Ageism exists. Yes, I get that.
No matter what your age.
But your age and experience are the patina on a fine piece of art.
The sheen from well-oiled work.
The layers of a complex onion.
Work with me on this…
- Focus your conversation (resume, LinkedIn, interview) on the current century.
- Don’t leave any years out: jobs and college graduation. No one wants to work that hard and their radar goes up when you are hiding something.
- Show your technology acuity. If you are not an IT specialist, admit your ability with the common platforms. Add an anecdote when you used technology to solve a problem in the past, even if it seems archaic today. Show your social media URLs.
- Demonstrate you can write well. Recruiters tell me that today’s graduates cannot. That gives you a leg up. Add a particularly well-written piece to the proper job in your Experience section on LinkedIn. Tell why it is important for its context.
- Finally, a worn out candidate sounds that way. An energetic and relevant candidate piques attention. In this case, your age is not the determinant. The nicest thing anyone ever told me after that 20+ yo sat in one of my workshops was “Hey for an old guy you know your stuff!” Today he is 30+ and has been learning his stuff too.
Be your real and valuable self in your job quest.
On November 9th I am co-presenting with fellow LinkedIn guru Sandra Long at Harness All Possibilities’s monthly meeting for underemployed executives of all ages in Greenwich. CT. Register and get a copy of one of our books.
