Last week a client said to me,
“Anne, you’ll probably think I’m crazy but I have just handed in my notice, do you think this was a wise move given that I am over 50? Will my age hold me back from getting a good position?”
I thought it would be a good idea to share my response to her for all of you who think that you might be too old to apply for a new job.
- More and more employers are buying experience so be sure to sell yourself on your experience and achievements.
- Try to match what you are and what you have to offer against the job for example, are they looking for someone who is reliable? Demonstrate that anyone over 40 can have an original idea.
- Older workers are more reliable, steadier; they package themselves better, have more common sense and are less likely to take time off when they have a hangover!
- Be and show that you are adaptable and that you are capable of learning, you can demonstrate this by any interests you have.
- You should not put your age or date of birth on your CV and if you use a skills based CV, there is no need to mention jobs that you did more than 10 years ago.
- Employers do value some of the things that older workers have eg, experience, credibility, reliability, maturity, financial stability.
- To your advantage, the working population is aging and around 4 out of 10 workers are over the age of 45 and legislation is making it increasingly difficult for employers to screen out older workers.
So does your age matter?
Only if you bring it up and start apologizing for it and only if you don’t distract the reader of your CV from it with all the good things that you have to offer – recent relevant achievements, unique selling points etc.
If you would like some help to sell yourself confidently on your CV and at interviews, no matter what your age, please get in touch, anne@power-to-change.eu