Posts Tagged ‘older workers’

I never thought having 25 years of experience would be a liability, but that seems to be the case when you are looking for a new job. Is there any way to turn the negative perceptions about “older workers,” true or not, to my advantage?

Dear Readers,

Even if you have false teeth and use a walker, there are ways to take a bite out of the job market and sail past your younger competitors. Most likely you have collected a lengthy list of accomplishments, navigated a rough patch or two, and developed perspective that only age can bring. All you have to do now is convince a prospective employer that, in addition to your unmatched experience, you have tremendous energy and enthusiasm.

Charles Hays, vice president at Right Management Consultants, Inc., gives a monthly seminar for job hunters over 50. He offers the following tips to boost your chances of success:

Attitude Matters: “If you think you’re old, you are,” says Hays. Maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle pays off when you interview. Work in some mention of your life outside of work “so interviewers get to know the whole person.”

Appearance Counts: Some older workers show up at interviews wearing ill-fitting clothes commenting that, “they just want to feel comfortable,” Hays says. If interviewers are looking for a reason not to proceed with the hiring process, those applicants just handed it to them. Stick to tailored clothes and an up-to-date look for a good first impression. Also important is upright posture, a lively gait (if possible), and lots of eye contact.

Animation Helps: What gets a higher rating from interviewers – experience, communication, enthusiasm, or personality? Answer: enthusiasm. Research shows that it “wins by quite a bit,” Hays says. Upgrade your mildly positive, I-can-do-that-in-my-sleep approach to true enthusiasm for the position.

Emphasize Your Work Ethic: The view that older workers have a stronger work ethic than the younger generation “is the biggest thing older workers have going for them,” says Hays. To underline this point, mention the times you have gone the extra mile, worked after hours, and held fast to your commitment to a stellar attendance record.

Stretch Often: To counter the perception that people age 50 and older are inflexible, demonstrate involvement with new managers, different product lines, and expanded responsibilities. Keep current with technology and management styles. Managers who came up through the ranks and have trouble adapting when their organization takes a flatter, more inclusive approach often lose their jobs, Hays says.

10 Is Better Than 35: “Everybody wants to tell you their life story,” says Hays, but it’s far better to focus on your accomplishments of the last 10 years.  This true of your resume, too, which he advises keeping to two pages. One way to stand out, especially if the company you are applying to has experienced some ups and downs, is to indicate your accomplishments in both growth and consolidation environments.

Short Answers: Another stereotype is that older people ramble on. Keep your answers short and to the point. Start with “what” not “how,” Hays advises Prepare a few sentences about your most impressive accomplishments and stop there. If your interviewer wants to know more – the details of how you did it – she will ask. “Pay attention to the eyes,” Hays says. If they start wandering, you’ve lost her and should stop talking so she can redirect the conversation.

Reassure The Youth. If you will be working for someone younger, she might feel threatened by your experience. Stress your largesse. Among the things you might say: Which needs do you think I can fill?  How can I help you grow?

Over-qualified? To head off the question of whether you will move on if you find a more challenging position, pare down your resume. “We tell people not to fluff up their resume, but nothing says you can’t dumb it down,” says Hays. When one of his clients applied to a company that was smaller than the department he had previously run, the client omitted numbers from his resume that made the contrast too apparent, and “it worked out quite well,” says Hays. He landed the job. Furthermore, he enjoys it and has no plans to move on.

This just in from CNN, on the heels of the “Working Class” column on the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps.  With more people considering government funded public service as a career booster, it may be on the verge of a new heyday:

(CNN) — When Autumn Preble was a teenager in the 1960s, she spent hours gazing at black-and-white LIFE magazine photographs that documented the journey of Peace Corps volunteers all over the world.

George Stouter, 67, is helping build mental health programs in Saint Kitts for his Peace Corps stint.

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Preble, of Whidbey Island, Washington, wanted to join, but after college came marriage and a child.

Now at 58, with her son off to college, she has begun her two-year stint as a Peace Corps volunteer working in the public health sector in Francistown, Botswana, where nearly one in four individuals are infected with HIV.

“I’m getting to experience what it’s like to live in another culture, and that has a lot of value to me,” Preble said from her simple two-bedroom bungalow in Botswana. Preble is known to natives in her community as Masego (Ma say ho), which means “many gifts.” “This is the kind of travel that I’m interested in.”

Forget the mapped-out cruises or packaged vacations to see the world. A growing number of Americans over 50 are dedicating time in their golden years to volunteering abroad. The decision is becoming more attractive with a sickly national economy sparking more layoffs and early retirement packages.