JOB SEARCH TIP: It’s my birthday! Let’s talk about ageism in the job search.

I’m not going to tell you my age today– there are a lot of candles on the cake!

It is against the law for employers to discriminate against an older candidate. You cannot be asked your age, and if someone does in a job interview I urge you to move on.

What can you do?

• List your educational experiences on your resume, but do not put the year you graduated.
• Most employers will be interested in your last ten or fifteen years of work, so list only those.
• Be aware of language that may signal your age. I still think “groovy” is a fine word… maybe not.
• Look for opportunities where “gray hair” may be of value. One client with a younger employee base was looking to hire a couple of leaders who had more experience in an allied industry; in this case experience/age was an advantage, and
• Keep learning and growing personally and professionally.

If you are older, there are places where your skills and interests will be of value. Find them.

There are training videos on the web site of my faith community and a handout. This content is free: https://www.thetablempls.com/jobresources