GETTING YOUR FOOT IN THE DOOR AT 50+

Despite statutes prohibiting the practice, age discrimination is rampant. The current recession has disproportionately impacted more experienced workers. This has always been a pet peeve of mine. Now that I will be turning 50 soon, it has become even more important to me.

As a recruiter, companies frequently approach me looking for employees that do not have ‘too much experience’ or that have ‘less that 15 years of experience’. This is code for “I am looking for someone in their 30’s.” Obviously a few additional years of experience will not impair the potential employee from performing their job, but you would be surprised to know that hiring managers over 50 are just as guilty as younger hiring managers.

Hiring companies like to hire younger employees for the following reasons:

They believe that older employees do not understand current technology.
They believe that older employees will have health problems that will drive up insurance and cause attendance problems.
They believe that older employees will have problems reporting to younger managers.
They believe that older employees do not learn as easily.

As a young manager in a fortune 500 firm I found the stereotypes listed above to be far from true. The more senior members of my team turned out to be far and away my best employees, They tended to be more reliable. Had a stronger work ethic and they brought a wealth of experience and job knowledge to the team.

Hiring managers hold on to their biases with a death grip. If you are looking for a new position and are over 50 you will need to develop strategies to overcome these biases.

(1) Target the right company - The management in some companies is more enlightened than in others. Recruiters typically know which companies are friendly to more experienced workers. You can also get useful informant about hiring practices from blogs and web site such as Vault.com. As a general rule, large corporations will have policies in place to prevent age discrimination. But, this does not mean that the individual hiring managers do not have a bias.
(2) Use your network – Typically hiring managers that are biased toward younger employees will quickly dismiss older job seekers that they have no connection with. If you can provide the name of someone within the company, the hiring manager will look more closely at your qualifications and more likely look beyond your age.
(3) Get in front of the hiring manager - It is vital that you get physically in front of the hiring manager. Prejudices quickly fall away when the hiring manager has a live interaction. You may need to tailor your resume to increase your odds on getting a live interview. There is no need to trace your entire work history back to the beginning. Typically 10 years is all you need. You do not need to note the year you graduated from college. A good career coach can help you here.
(4) Dispel the prejudices - During the interview take the initiatives to dispel the common prejudices about your age group. Include statements about your mastery of the current technology. Talk about your energy level. You could mention your daily workout regimen. Talk about new skills you have recently picked up.
(5) Sell the strength of your experience – At 50 you will have accumulated a good quantity of contacts and experience that a younger person does not have. Carefully read the job description and match specific experiences, skills and contacts to the listed qualifications. During the interview list these experiences, skills and contacts and how they will specifically help the company reach their goals.
(6) Make sure the biases are not true – Take a few minutes everyday to do something physically active. This will not only make you appear healthier, it will give you a mental outlook and energy that will put you ahead of the competition. Stay current on the technology. It only takes a few minutes to keep current. Interviewers frequently eliminate candidates when they do not understand the recent technology jargon.

The job search after 50 will take longer and require a little more work. If you continue to have no success after a couple of months I strongly recommend you consult with a seasoned professional who can tailor an action plan specifically for you.