There is no question ageism exists.
Millions of highly skilled, competent people who are over 50, 60, even over 70, would love to get out there and put their experience and know-how to work, but can’t.
Some have given up, and some believe they are being treated unfairly and their age is to blame.
However — and this might raise a few eyebrows — it’s not the hiring organization that’s the problem, but the people seeking the job.
Why do we believe this? Well, GetFive career coaches who have worked with senior managers and executives looking for their next gig have found that ageism is often created by the candidate when they:
- Dress like someone from a past decade, or worse, wear a suit and tie (or the female equivalent) to a job interview at a company where they stopped wearing suits years ago.
- Tell interviewers they are “not into that social media stuff.”
- Have not stayed current in their field or aren’t articulate about trends and leaders in their field.
- Still have a flip phone.
- Have so much experience and have interviewed so many times that they don’t spend much time preparing for the interview. (Quick tip: Top candidates spend eight to 16 hours preparing for the interview.)
The takeaway is simple: If any of these five points apply to you, fix what’s broken! The good news is these problems are easy to solve.
