Beat The Clock: Overcoming Ageism
Dr. Darla Shaw, GPHR, MBA, PhD.
CHRO| VP of HR | HR Thought Leader ??| Organizational Psychologist & Executive Coach ???| ????| Compensation & Total Rewards Guru | Compliance Jedi | DEIB & Culture Champion
Anyone over the age of 45 will probably tell you that they are worried about ageism. Two out of three workers age 45-74 say they have experienced ageism first hand!
I have had many people ask me when writing their resume to remove their earlier work history, take off dates of graduation and more, all to avoid the stigma that comes from having "too much experience" or being seen as "overqualified". They have this feeling that when people look at their resume, all they see is someone who is “overqualified” or take one look at their LinkedIn profile, see the silver in their hair, and pass on them.
Then there are the naysayers; the ones who say ageism isn't real. It's just another social justice warrior fad, and a way for people to avoid responsibility or blame others for not getting a fair shake.
The truth though is a bit more complicated than either view.
According to the AARP, workers age 55 and over are accounting for almost ALL of the job growth since 2000! That trend is expected to decrease once older workers start retiring, but for now, The nation’s 35.5 million older workers now make up 23.1 percent of the U.S. workforce of 154 million.
So….almost 1 in 4 workers in the United States is considered an “older worker”. That’s a lot of people and so obviously discrimination can’t be happening everywhere, right?
Perhaps not everywhere….but it does happen! People aren’t just paranoid.
Having been in HR and recruitment for 18 years, I have seen clients deliberately weed out older workers. One client even told me not to give him any resumes at all unless the DATE OF GRADUATION was on their resume! He wanted someone “young” he could “train up”. Seriously.
The question is….WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN?
In order to overcome any discrimination or bias, you must first understand the “motivator”, whether conscious or unconscious. Some motivators are obvious; fear, stereotyping and stigmas passed down with no factual evidence, culture bias, etc.
In the case of ageism specifically though, there seem to be THREE motivating factors, which I have listed below. Understanding these factors is the key to overcoming them, and I have provided a few suggestions on how to counter them. This is not a complete list, but these are some techniques I’ve seen work!
Factor One: MONEY
“Older workers” have spent years building up their careers. As a result, when they go to talk about salary, it’s generally higher than their younger counterparts who don’t have the same experience or education.
How To Beat It:
If you’re applying for a role where having a lot of experience is NOT a priority, then you are most likely going to get weeded out. Sales is a primary example of this. A lot of sales positions are viewed as having an “anyone with the right personality can do this”, and so having two candidates, one more expensive than the other, will usually result in going for the “cheaper” candidate.
How can you overcome this? Two ways.
First…KNOW YOUR WORTH! Do your research on salary, payscale and glassdoor. Be sure to understand what the market is for your position. Ask recruiters what the going rate is! Sometimes they know more than those websites do, which use an aggregate system.
Second, even if you are asking for market value, but especially if you’re asking for more, be able to justify your value by showing the results of your past success. You have an advantage over younger workers because you’ve had years to build up your reputation and achievements! Make sure your resume and examples reflect that, and that you can put into dollars and cents how you will be able to bring value to the company more than your competition.
Factor TWO: LENGTH OF SERVICE
The closer you get to retirement, the more companies wonder….how long will you be here? Some companies have a hard time understanding that if they get even 2 years of dedicated, loyal service out of an employee, especially one who can mentor and train others, they are likely going to get more value than hiring someone who might quit any day! But again, it’s a stigma, and stigmas rarely make sense.
How To Beat It:
Be prepared to talk about how much longer you plan to work. Although it’s illegal for interviewers to directly ask how old you are, they can backchannel the question with remarks about how long you plan to keep working. The correct answer is always something like, ‘I enjoy working, and feel like I’m still learning, and intend to stay in the workforce as long as I can. I don’t plan on hanging up my hat anytime soon.”
No matter what, express enthusiasm for your work. You need to reinforce the skills and experience you bring to an employer and the fact that you want to keep using those skills and perhaps mentor younger people to teach them some of the things you know.
Factor THREE: RELEVANCE
The first two were almost forgivable in their practicality, but this last one is just plain ignorance, stigma and perception. Workers age 45 and older are more likely to be viewed as “out of touch” with latest trends, but especially with technology. The worry is that you can’t keep up and perhaps don’t know what’s going on with your industry.
How To Beat It:
It’s important that you’re current in your industry—and the tech that it uses—and that you’re aware of the latest trends.
That doesn’t mean you must be fluent in every platform. You do not want to sit there and talk about how much you love Snapchat! You can’t try too hard. No one expects you to be the technology whiz, but they also don’t want you to be a dinosaur. List any social media profiles on your resume so an employer can see that you’re comfortable with the technology. If there are other platforms, apps, or programs that are used in your field, be proficient in those as well.
If you’re not a tech whiz, enlist the help of an adult child or friend, or consider taking an online or local technology course if you need assistance. Try Coursera.org or LinkedIn’s learning platform for online options.
Also be sure to talk about the latest industry trends in your interview, or mention a brief excerpt in a cover letter. Little things like that prove you are up to date, and can mitigate this unconscious bias before it even starts.
Ageism is a problem. It won’t disappear over night! But you can fight it. Message me for more tips or help overcoming ageism like many of my clients have done! [email protected]
BI & analytical dashboards development. COO at Cobit Solutions
2 年Great post!
Global Field Service Project Assistant
6 年Yeah...nice ideas..and YES, ageism is real.? Recently, after a two year search, I looked up via LinkedIn & Facebook the 4-5 jobs that I had multiple interviews with, and found out, with my techie talent, who was really hired.? The people they hired were under 25, had no experience.? Further, they lacked any of the skills described in the job post. Two of the 4 left after 6 months for a different job.? ?So, regardless of what you say, the truth is that the twenty somethings and their management are passing over the greatest pool of talent on earth, who are available, tech savvy, uninhibited, open to learn new things, willing to volunteer at the on-sight of issues, awesome mentors to younger workers, and calm, cool, collected, organized, creative, and fun to work with.? We are your best adversary...yet you do not see it. But, I DIGRESS....your loss! Too bad!? When we are gone, you will figure it out.? The hard way, or not. Just saying!?
Technical Sales / Account Manager / Business to Business / Business Development Management
6 年Very good article and guidance. Although I am staying positive, one of the big problems is that recruiters today have a different philosophy and level of experience. They take what employers ask them without drilling them down to what they really need and what they are really trying to achieve. Much less, young recruiters (internal or external) have the experience or common sense to understand what the meaning of the word value is.
Thank you for writing this!? It does give older people hope.????
Roofing Production Manager (Hands on, too). Podcaster. Life-time learner. A thing either is, or it is not.
6 年The main aspect is staying current, and showing it off. The number of times I hear the excuse "well, I'm older, I didn't grow up with that", or, "I'm older, that's too complicated" makes me want to F'ing scream. If you aren't going to be current, you don't deserve *anything*. The market dictates your value, not however many years you did some kind of work flow that is no longer relevant.