Age discrimination is the belief that older individuals (typically in the 50-plus age range) aren’t competent employees. This belief leads to adverse hiring and firing practices as well as mistreatment in the workplace. If you’ve found yourself the target of this treatment you have recourse. Learn how to set yourself up for success.
Be Careful How You Advertise Yourself
You don’t necessarily want to “out” yourself as an older employee on your resume or CV by listing out work from thirty or more years ago. Play up your experience instead. You are probably on the more senior end of most of your colleagues and perhaps even upper management. Use that to your advantage. If you are applying to a new job in the same industry you can talk about how you’ve watched it evolve over time. Demonstrate your ability to evolve along with it, and remember that your most recent experience is what will be most relevant for your resume or CD.
Apply for Jobs Correctly
Are you looking for new work? The process may have changed since you last applied to a job. These days most opportunities are posted online. Look at jobs databases. You can filter by position and location. Read each posting carefully. The company might ask you to submit additional information through their own in-house portal. You could also be required to go through several rounds of interviews. Don’t be intimidated if this is different than what you’re used to. Keeping a level head shows that you can be abreast of the times.
Consult With a Lawyer
Even if you do everything right, there is no guarantee that you can entirely avoid discrimination based on your age. Biases are a natural part of everyone’s psyche, making it difficult to truly know when your age was the deciding factor or if it was a simple matter of qualifications. If you suspect that your age is what is turning employers away, however, it is important to get employment legal representation. Even if the employers are generally good people and may not be intentionally discriminating, the only way to change things is to hold employers accountable and keep them aware of their own biases.
Sign Up for Classes
Many organizations offer classes to help teach people the art of applying for jobs. As the job market changes frequently, so do the attributes that employers work for. Knowing what fonts, styles, and information to include in your resume or CV can put you ahead of the competition regardless of your age. Know what employers are interested in and how to convey those attributes, and remember that the experience may be very different from when you were last in the job market.
There are other, less formal routes you can take as well. Strike up casual conversations with your friends to see what strategies they’re using in the workplace. Advanced age doesn’t mean a halted career.
Author information: Meghan Belnap is a freelance writer who enjoys spending time with her family. She loves being in the outdoors and exploring new opportunities whenever they arise. Meghan finds happiness in researching new topics that help to expand her horizons. You can often find her buried in a good book or out looking for an adventure. You can connect with her on Facebook right here and Twitter right here.
