What do you do if your age is holding you back in the job market?

Today employers are correctly more interested in your attitude to learning new things that the skills you have right now, which are becoming obsolete at an accelerated rate of change. But that does not apply so much to your soft skills, which will help you change.

In my country employers expect to see your age or date of birth in a CV, but you may put that information at the end rather than at the beginning, so that any age bias will only come after having gained a good understanding of your experience and accomplishments. What you have done at the beginning of your career may be scarcely relevant to your current skills, yet I favour including those experiences, although you should not delve on them too much.

Networking is more than an important tool, if you want to succeed it must become a mindset. It’s important at any age, but especially after 50/55, since in Italy at least candidates over that age are routinely discriminated by headhunters, therefore my advice for them is to network effectively and go directly to companies.

The key is to turn age into a positive. This can be done in two ways: First, the applicant needs to provide examples of how they have overcome adversity in their career (and, if appropriate, their personal lives). By definition, younger applicants for a job will not have their experience. They can tell an employer, "Been there, done that. I can hit the ground running." Second, if it is true, they should give examples of how they have helped younger colleagues advance in their careers. That should put at ease an interviewer who might fear that if the applicant, who is older and more experienced than they are, is hired, they will replace them.

Ageism is indeed a concerning issue in today's economy, impacting mature professionals disproportionately. However, I believe focusing on the value they bring to the role and organisation is key. By highlighting accomplishments amassed over their career, mature professionals can showcase their unique expertise and experience, setting themselves apart from others (read younger generation). This not only boosts confidence for the professional but also demonstrates how they can effectively address organisational challenges in a dynamic economy.

Achievements convey your skills very effectively, but you must make sure that they are somewhat relevant to your audience. If your recruiter does not understand the context in which you had success, either you have to explain what may be obvious to you but not necessarily to somebody twenty years younger, or change achievement, or the way you tell them. Your objective is to leave a positive impression through meaningful achievements easy to understand.

Appearance is part of your brand. And times change, five years ago I would have not dressed for an interview without a tie, today I rarely use them. More than that your appearance must at the same time reflect yourself, be authentic, while allowing you to blend with the organization you wish to join. If there is a mismatch, you have an issue. You are fortunate if that organization embraces diversity also in look, if not, at the end of the day you must decide what is more important for you, showing your self or blend.