4 Ways to Deal with Age Discrimination During Job Search

English Job Seeker Guide Job Seekers

4 Ways to Deal with Age Discrimination During Job Search

August 14, 2023

There are two concerns about age discrimination during job search:

The pressures from the outside, like a retirement age rule or potential workers who think that older means less competitive.
The “fears, challenges, and uncertainties” from within.

Yes, it would be great if HR or top leadership backed special projects to address people’s concerns in their later careers, but you can’t wait for just one resource. Instead, when planning your job search, give yourself time and attention to deal with the outside and inside challenges you’ll face later in your work.

Here are 4 ways to deal with age discrimination during job search:

1. Be ready to answer typical concerns about applicants with long careers.

Before you assume it’s because of your age, look honestly at how you sell yourself and interview. How good are your skills? For a head of engineering job, the person needs to have recent work experience with the latest technologies. If you’re trying to get into a new field or fill a gap in your skills, training courses and/or certifications give you searchable keywords and examples to discuss at a networking event or job interview.

Are you in it for the long haul, or do you plan to leave soon? There is always a time to get used to a new job and learn its methods, priorities, and culture. Businesses don’t want to put money into people who might leave soon. Yes, this is a problem for everyone, not just workers nearing the end of their careers, but it is a problem, so you need to deal with it.

ALSO READ: 6 Ways to Handle a Job Rejection

2. Justify your worth.

You might be coming from a job that paid you as a vice president, and your next boss might be trying to decide if they need a vice president or just a director (or even a manager). Find out what the employer really wants and needs when you look at a job posting or talk to a potential boss. Then, figure out how you can help solve these problems, and if possible, give a number to your effort. Look beyond your daily tasks and determine how your job affects the company’s bottom line, such as by bringing in more money, cutting costs, or making more money.

Try to find 10 times as much value as you get paid for. The higher up you are, the more effect you should have. If a job pays $200,000, can you find $2 million worth to the company? If you can keep your talks focused on what you can do to improve the bottom line, you’ll be able to answer the sometimes-unspoken question of whether you’re too expensive or overqualified. This way, you may be able to tackle the age discrimination.

3. Counter internal mind games with anecdotes of late-career success.

To show employers that you’re the best option, you have to first show yourself that you are. If you’re worried about getting a job, that worry will come out in your networking meetings and interviews. Even if you’re sure of your skills, your worries about your job prospects could be seen as a lack of confidence or credibility, even if you’re sure of yourself.

Hope you have a network of people who support you and give you knowledge and ideas. Find a friend who is always upbeat, and ask them to be your job search buddy as you look for work. You should call this person before a job interview. Keep a folder of success stories from later in your career to look at when you’re feeling down or putting off your outreach calls. If you want to change jobs, think about the teacher who became a watchmaker. If you are out of work, you can find comfort that this 50-year-old woman turned her layoff into a raise and a higher salary.

4. Help yourself so you can help others.

Ignore any bad news about job hunting late in your work in general. You are not like most people looking for work. Your job search results in either you get a job, or you don’t. Age discrimination is not something you need to worry about right now. Pay attention to finding the right job for you.

Still, if the plight of the late-career worker moves you, there are many ways to help. When you get your dream job, you’ll be a role model for other people. Reach out to your old network to share information and ideas, and be the friend who encourages someone still looking for a job. Start an employee resource group for professionals in their late careers at your new job to bring attention to this problem and give yourself some leadership experience.

Now, get out there and show them what you are capable of! Find your dream job on Jobstore.com, download our free mobile app today.

Anisa is a writer who focuses on career and lifestyle topics in an effort to motivate both job searchers and employers towards greater fulfillment in their professional lives.

Reach me at anisa@jobstore.com.

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