Tech career coach, interview coach, and trusted confidant to Silicon Valley's top talent via CaffeinatedKyle.com.
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“How do I combat ageism during my job search?” As a tech career coach who specializes in senior managers and executives, this is a question I hear often. Tech leaders worry that age bias will prevent them from being considered competitive candidates and believe they must hide their years of experience if they want to secure a new job.
How To Overcome Ageism In The Job Search
The truth is that ageism is rampant, and you’ll likely experience it if you’re looking for a job in the second half of your career, regardless of industry. According to the World Health Organization, one in two people globally are ageist against older people. Fortunately, there are strategies you can deploy to find a new job while navigating the realities of ageism:
1. Own your age.
For starters, consider taking an offensive approach to age bias. While many résumé writers and career coaches suggest only showcasing the last 10 to 15 years of work history on your résumé, often to obscure your age, you might instead choose to proactively market the advantages of hiring a more experienced applicant to prospective employers. Although this strategy won’t be effective for every company or industry, it can be a way to effectively stand out in the saturated job market with hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of candidates applying for a single open role.
You can further use your résumé and LinkedIn profile to highlight some of the potential advantages that accompany your additional years of experience, such as:
• Maintaining institutional and industry knowledge
• Mentoring and coaching newer professionals
• Leading teams, departments and companies through change and uncertainty
2. Leverage your network.
Another advantage of job searching as an older professional is that you’ve likely been working for 10, 20 or more years, which means you have a deep network that you can call upon to support you in finding your next opportunity. Importantly, though, you need to be proactive in reaching out to your contacts as well as being clear as to the types of positions you’re targeting.
Beyond your professional network, you can also tap into your personal communities, which might include any religious or faith groups you belong to, parent-teacher associations, gym memberships or yoga classes, homeowners’ associations, etc. Since it can be difficult to stay in touch with the countless connections you’ve amassed over the years, you may find it helpful to pull out your phone and sift through your contacts to see who might be able to support you in your job hunt. You can also go through your Facebook friends list to refresh your memory. Remember that all it takes is a single introduction to land a job interview.
3. Remain agile and flexible.
Regardless of age, it’s important to stay agile when looking for your next employment opportunity. One step you can take to remain flexible is enrolling in online certificate programs to further develop your skill set and demonstrate your commitment to continuous learning. You can also invest in mentors and, as my mentor Jill Katz likes to call them, “reverse mentors” who are junior to you and keep you up to date on the latest trends and best practices. Moreover, don’t be afraid to try new strategies in your job search; many of my clients have found success using online communities like Reddit, Blind and X (previously Twitter) to propel their job searches.
Getting A New Job When You’re Older
Ageism is real, and you’re likely to face it if you’re 40, 50 or older and looking for a job in today’s employment market. Thankfully, there are steps you can take to overcome ageism, including embracing your age, tapping into your professional and personal networks, and remaining agile and flexible. Implementing one or more of these strategies should help you find your next role faster, at a company that values your years of experience. You’ve got this!
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