July 30, 2012

Overcoming the age-old 'maturity' problem

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First impressions play an enormous role in how a candidate will be evaluated. Sometimes, however, these impressions are completely out of our control. Take the case of one job seeker I recently spoke with, who met a hiring manager about a job for which he was perfectly suited. He acted professionally and displayed confidence in his abilities. Incidentally, he is a man in his early 50s, trim and athletic, with short, salt-and-pepper hair.

"The interviewer was about 30 and seemed friendly with me on the phone," the job seeker recalled. "But I could see his expression change instantly when he saw me in person. I could tell he wanted to get the interview over with as soon as I walked in." Needless to say, he didn't get the job.

Was this a case of age discrimination? Probably. Is this illegal? Certainly, under well-established federal law. Could it be proven? Probably not. Such is the insidious nature of "ageism" -- there are so many ways to hide it behind discussions of merit.

Unlike other common forms of discrimination, such as sexism or racism, ageism is hard to pin down since there's no clear consensus on what constitutes an "older worker." The Bureau of Labor Statistics focuses mainly on workers aged 65 or older, while the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sets protections for anyone over the age of 40.

Since I'm apparently a member of the 40+ "old fogeys club" (ouch!), I recently attended WorkSource-Seattle's Mature Job Seekers Seminar, held about once a month at the Opportunity Center for Employment and Education. During the two-hour workshop, we discussed how the problem of ageism is expected to grow as the baby-boomer generation continues getting grayer; currently, about seven people will turn 50 every minute through 2014.

Ageism may not be legal or ethical, but it is a stark reality to be faced by every job seeker who was born before The Beatles broke up. One way to cope is to review some of the most commonly held myths about mature workers and to educate ourselves about how most of them are simply not true. Here are a few covered in the seminar:

Myth: Older workers are out of touch with technology.
Reality: Though they may not be the first to pounce on the latest iPad release, older workers are just as focused on learning new job-related skills and technology as any other worker, WorkSource says. In fact, the seminar instructor said, there is no evidence that older workers experience a significant loss of intelligence or skills as they age.

That said, it is imperative for all job seekers to stay on top of the latest technology trends in their industry. For those who are looking to brush up their skills, he recommended a program offered by Seattle Goodwill providing free, in-depth computer training that runs over several days.

Myth: Older workers are "know-it-alls" who are not open to change.
Reality: While some older workers may question the reasoning behind certain changes, they are equally as likely to get on board with the change once they understand it. Sometimes, younger interviewers are uncomfortable interviewing more-seasoned workers, who may remind them of their parents. The key, the instructor said, is to focus on sharing your wealth of expertise without making the younger team members feel like you're trying to take their jobs -- even if you secretly are.

Myth: Old people are slower and get sick more often.
Reality: According to WorkSource, the demographic segment that takes the greatest number of sick days includes those with young children, who often need to leave work early or take days off for various emergencies involving kids. Also, the instructor added, most older workers have enough real-life experience to make better decisions faster than younger people, who tend to have less confidence.

Myth: Older, more experienced workers will get bored and leave.
Reality: In this case, the opposite is true, according to WorkSource. Older workers that are often described as "overqualified" tend to have greater family responsibilities and mortgage payments to consider, and are thus more likely to stay put in stable, long-term jobs. To help interviewers overcome this stereotype, address this overqualification issue directly in the interview. Be clear about how much you want to be at that specific company and that you hope to find opportunities for advancement within the company rather than outside the organization.

If you are pushing 45, here is a list of online nonprofit resources that WorkSource recommended: Retired Brains; Seniors 4 Hire; the Mature Workers Alliance; the AARP Foundation; and Experience Works.

Note: The next Mature Workers seminar is being held on Aug. 24. For more information on this and other WorkSource workshops, visit the organization's events calendar.

Randy Woods writes about job-search tools, networking techniques and other tips to help you land your dream job.

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ageism, boomers, discrimination, experience, generation gap, interviewing, technology