By Leslie Rothman
Career & Work Directions

As job seekers prepare for interviews, a common fear among the young and old is that their age will be held against them in the selection process.

Typically age is not a consideration in the job application and hiring process. Most often, the reason a person is not selected for a specific position is due to a mismatch between the applicant's work experience, motivation or attitude as it relates to the job requirements. An employer likes to know: "Does this person really want the job?" or "Is this applicant a good match for the work environment?"

However age-related biases do exist among some involved in the hiring process. Most interviewers have an understanding of the legal ramifications of asking age related questions and avoid them. Underlying biases related to age stereotypes often are not translated into legally appropriate behavioral questions, and un-addressed concerns remain with the interviewer.

For the interviewee, a concern over age can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Age concerns can generate enough anxiety to create an obstacle to interviewing success. It can also be used an excuse which hides the true reasons for lack of success in interviews.

Three strategies can help you prepare and handle this concern in an interviewing situation.

1. Demonstrate behaviors that dispel beliefs
2. Separate "over or under qualified" issues from age
3. Assume age is your asset, not a your liability

1) Be Prepared to Address Stereotypes

The first strategy deals directly with the interviewer who has an age bias. Rather then trying to change a bias, focus on the common behavioral stereotypes that accompany it. Let's look at some common stereotypical statements regarding older workers.

• You can't teach an old dog new tricks - (implying that older employees are not adaptable and unable to learn)
• Older people aren't up with current technology
• He/she is just looking to ride it out until they can retire - (implying there's no fire)
• They'll tell you how to do your job, because they've been there

If you're a younger worker, they might sound like this:

• Young people are irresponsible
• They don't have a clue, but they have an attitude
• A young person won't stick it out. If they don't like this job, they'll move on and I'll have this job open again

Work up your own list.Ask friends about the negative beliefs about which they've heard. Once you understand people's concerns, you can preempt them. For each of the beliefs you've identified, come up with a specific example that demonstrates how your behavior is different. Have an example that really shows how you've successfully adapted to a variety of work environments or changes that have occurred in your recent work situations. Develop a response that demonstrates your ongoing interest in learning new ideas and incorporating new approaches.

If you're a younger applicant, have examples that display your perseverance, commitment, and responsibility, in a past work or school situation.

Be ready to incorporate these examples into your responses to interview questions such as:

• Tell me about your strengths
• Why should I hire you?
• How would your co-workers describe you?
• Tell me about yourself

Make sure you are being honest with yourself and others. If you really aren't responsible or up with new technology, don't bend the truth. Think instead of how you can develop in these areas, and what you plan to do to improve.

2) Recognize When Your Skills Don't Match the Job

The second strategy is to recognize when your qualifications may be mismatched with the position needs, and to separate this from your feelings about age bias. I recently had a younger person tell me she was facing situations where her youthful appearance (i.e. age) was being held against her. When I asked her about her work experience, she admitted she had been a stay at home mom and had no outside-the-home work experience, which means no easy-to-translate track record. This was at the heart of her lack of success, not her youthful look.

Similarly, when a position asks for 5-8 years of experience and an individual applies who has 20, (and happens to be the age of 50), the issue is most likely that the applicant has significantly more experience then matches the skill, responsibility or pay level of the position.

3) Identify Positive Attributes that Reflect Your Age

Finally, spend time thinking about the positive attributes that can accompany your age, and develop responses and examples that demonstrate them. For the more senior applicant it may be:

• Maturity - emotional and intellectual
• Seasoned - a broad understanding of organizational politics, a variety or depth of experiences
• Sense of Self - clarity about what is important, balance, self-awareness
• Role model - less need to prove self, eager to support others

For the younger applicant perhaps it's:

• Energy and Drive - a desire to accomplish a lot
• Fresh Ideas- a willingness to explore totally new perspectives
• Positive Outlook - a belief that that anything is possible

The more you think about the positives associated with your age, and can demonstrate these attributes, the more it will help you to believe and sell a strong, confident and upbeat image - young or old. As Henry Ford once said, "Whether you believe you can or you believe you can't - you're right."

About the author:

Leslie Rothman has a combined total of over 21 years of Career and Human Resource experience, ranging from career work at two universities and an independent career coaching practice to human resource recruitment and management experience at Teradyne, Inc. and Summa Four Inc. in New Hampshire and L.L. Bean in Maine. Leslie started Career and Work Directions in 1998, providing Career and Workplace Coaching and Consulting services to individuals and organizations. Consulting services include Career Workshops and Career Coaching, Outplacement, Transitions/Change Management, and Strategic Recruitment assistance.

For more information call 207-791-7845 or email: careerworkdirections@earthlink.net