11 Things You Can Do to Overcome Ageism In a Job Search
By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
Although people blame ageism much too easily to explain why they are finding it hard to find a job, here are things you can do to help you overcome it.
00:00 Introduction
01:12 Instead of talking about what you’ve done
01:36 Transferable skills
01:59 Network
02:28 Get a Mentor
03:10 Be flexible
03:33 Certifications
04:14 Be proactive
05:13 Act confidently
05:41 Use social media
06:08 Dealing with a gap in your employment history
06:47 The Winston Churchill quote
07:05 Outro
Tactics for Overcoming Ageism in a Job Search
I’m gonna be talking about things that you can do as an older professional in order to overcome ageism as part of your job search. I’m Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter. People hire me for no BS career advice globally, which can relate to job search, hiring, you know, the whole lifecycle of you and your career. I do 
it in order to help make it easier for you professionally, so that you don’t have to figure things out on your own. You can learn without going through trial and error and making costly mistakes.
Now, as an older professional looking for work, you’re up running up against people’s prejudices about what people are like, as an older professional. As you’ve probably noticed, I’m not 24. So I understand some of this stuff, and I bump up against it in my work as a coach. So I thought I would talk with you about some of the things that you can do, as part of your job search that are going to help you land more quickly.
And the first one is, when you get to an interview, don’t just talk about what you’ve done, talk about what you’ve done, that matters to them in the context of the role. And thus, connect the dots between what you’ve done and what they want someone to do. Got that. Don’t just talk about what you’ve done, talk about what you’ve done that matters to them.
And if that’s kind of ambiguous, number two is highlight your transferable skills. Emphasize experiences and skills that are relevant to the role that you’re interviewing for, or applying to. And thus, you’re making it easier for them, or for their systems to see how you fit.
Network. Leverage your existing connections and make new ones in order to learn about opportunities and to get your name out there. That requires visibility on your part and not just simply talking to the same six people day in and day out, and making them feel like you’re badgering them. You have to extend your reach. And I gotta tell you, this has to be part of your repertoire throughout your career.
Number four, get a mentor. Now I know as an older professional, you don’t like to think in terms of asking for help. You should know. But getting a mentor is
going to help you a lot and give you support throughout the search. And if not a mentor, a coach. Now, if you think about a mentor, don’t necessarily think about a peer. Also talk to people younger than you. Because they’re going to know different things generationally than your contemporaries will. And I’m not talking about if you’re 60, talking to someone who’s 24, they could be 44. And there’ll be insights that they have that will help you.
Workers In Their Late 30s And Older Face Ageism In A Recession
Next be flexible. Different types of opportunity, whether contract work, temp work, part-time work multiple part-time assignments depends on the role, and what you need professionally. But, you know, some of these organizations, some of these situations are, shall we say, less age sensitive.
Get certifications, that’s number six. Get certs in what you know and get additional training that can demonstrate your knowledge and skills are up to date. Now, you may have done work in a field for 15, 20, 25 years, and you know it like the back of your hand. So getting a certification, even a free LinkedIn certification will help you because it’s going to be a tiebreaker for a lot of people. And there may be a couple of tips and tricks that you’ll pick up that will help you get certs. Get them on your LinkedIn profile. Get them on your resume.
Being proactive is the next thing. I think that’s number seven. Don’t wait for opportunities to land in your inbox or that arrive on a job board. Reach out to companies that you want to work for and do things that connect with people there and just have conversations. You know, ‘this is my background. Is this someone with that type of experience that you hire? No? What kind of experience do you hire, and what sort of training would someone need to have? Now, often you’re making more than $100,000 and if it’s a completely new expertise, they’re not going to pay over $100,000 for you, let alone over $200,000 for you. Be aware of that, but you want to be doing outreach to organizations and obviously recruiters as well, rather than just simply sitting by the phone like a date on Thursday night wondering if the phone is going to ring.
Act confidently. You know, when I present on camera, I don’t think anyone doubts I have expertise in these areas. And that’s partly because of how I present myself on camera. Same thing on interviews. Same thing in networking situations. Same thing as you talking to people from your past. Showing confidence in yourself and your abilities will serve you very well.
Obviously, use social I believe that’s nine or 10. Let’s say it’s nine. Social media– LinkedIn, will help you showcase your skills and experiences. And you can use Facebook, Twitter, Mastodon, any of the other platforms to help you put yourself out there more regularly, in order to ensure that more people get to know you.
This is a tough one for people to see but if you’ve got a gap in your background, be honest about it. Now COVID offers a great reason why a lot of you may have been out of work for a particular time coincidental with the COVID pandemic. Use it to your advantage. And if there are other reasons, like I was laid off, I was in a funk. I wasn’t in a place where I could mentally be ready. I spent time with family. I hadn’t really spent a lot of time with my kids. They were in their late teens, going off to college, you know, talk with them about the gaps in your background in an honest way.
And this is the most important one. Don’t give up. Finding a job takes time. And don’t let the stories that you tell yourself about age discrimination, discourage you. Keep pushing. Don’t give up.
I hope you found this helpful. I’m Jeff Altman. My website TheBigGameHunter.us has a ton in the blog that can help you. Plus there you can schedule time for what I call trusted advisor services where I answer your questions related to your search, hiring more effectively, managing and leading better, career transitions, workplace related issues, you know, a whole host of different things related to your career.
Or if you want support with your job search or with your leadership in an organization, you can schedule more prolonged coaching where we work on a regular basis to help you professionally. Also, at my site you can find about my courses, video courses, books and guides. Again a lot there to help.
Lastly, connect with me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/TheBigGameHunter. Have a terrific day and most importantly, be great. Take care!
ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a coach who worked as a recruiter for what seems like one hundred years. He is hired to provide No BS Career Advice globally. That can involve job search, hiring staff, management, leadership, career transition and advice about resolving workplace issues. Schedule a discovery call at my website, www.TheBigGameHunter.us
He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with over 2500 episodes.
Website: www.TheBigGameHunter.us (schedule a paid coaching session, a free discovery call or ask questions using my Trusted Adviser Services)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/TheBigGameHunter
Courses: www.TheBigGameHunter.us/courses
Main YouTube: www.JobSearchTV.com
No BS Job Search Advice Radio Podcast: anchor.fm/nobsjobsearchadviceradio
Video Podcast of No BS Job Search Advice Radio: Spotify
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Medium: jeffaltmancoach.medium.com
Resume & LinkedIn Profile critiques www.TheBigGameHunter.us/critiques
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