The layoffs of the past decade combined with the recent deep recession have cast many experienced "older" workers to the unemployment lines. And, as you are probably aware, the time spent in these lines is longer than any time in our nation's history. I meet and talk with job seekers all the time, and consistently hear stories about recruiters passing over experienced workers with veiled comments on overqualified, or a desire for a different "type" of worker. If you're an older worker, here's 5 ways you can win against younger workers.
1. Get Plugged In - Many older workers have been late to the technology/Internet revolution. The US has moved to a knowledge economy and if you are going to get and keep a job, the best place is to become a knowledge workers. The good news is that if you've waited until now to get plugged in, you have an advantage. We're now in the third wave of the Internet (Web 3.0) and you can leapfrog to the front without having to go through the first 2 waves. Here's how. Recruiters can tell how old a worker is based on their email address, so create a new email at gmail.com, me.com, or at your name address (me.com and yourname.com require you to spend money). For example, if your email address ends with:
- AOL.com - you are a technology dinosaur, probably use an old Compaq computer to access the Internet, are not tech saavy, and don't keep up to date with technology
- Hotmail.com or Yahoo.com - you came to the Internet early, understand technology to some degree, but don't keep up with the latest and greatest
- GMail.com or me.com - You are near the leading edge of technology, are up to date with the times, and follow the latest trends.
- <yourname>.com - You're a prime candidate for a technology-related role. You clearly understand the Internet and are a technology master.
2. Use Your Experience Wisely - the wisdom of hand's on experience over youth was well represented in the movie, Up in the Air. You need to use this to your strength, but don't overplay your experience too much. Stress know-how over duration. Results are more valuable than time-served, so be sure that whatever you do, you focus on results of your work, not how long you've worked.
3. Leverage Your Connections - Although you may not have managed your relationship capital well by being loyal to your last employer and keeping your nose to the grindstone, you should be able to beat youth on your connections in your industry, associations, and supply chains. While the US remains ga-ga about the Internet as the primary means of communication, there's a growing backlash emphasizing the need for offline communications and human-to-human engagement. This is one of your strengths over youth so use it well.
4. Start a Business - even if you don't plan on running one, I tell all unemployed job seekers to go to your town hall and fill out a DBA (Doing Business As) and start a business. This action alone sets you apart as a mover and shaker even if you don't have any customers. With your experience and skills, you can begin to think and talk about how you could help companies in your domain save money or make money. Every business needs that. In addition, it creates energy-producing dialogue with those who can help you get a job (versus energy-draining dialogue that goes like this: Person: "What do you do?" You: "I'm unemployed looking for work <followed by elevator pitch>." Person: "oh" There's nothing really interesting to talk about there. Get with the program. The rules of the game for the 21st century will be rampant entrepreneurism and a highly dynamic workforce with a sharp rise in self-employment.
5. Demonstrate Patience - no, I don't mean patience in getting a job. When I was young and working to try to change Arthur D. Little's ability to use technology effectively in consulting engagements, Ralph Colello, VP of the automotive consulting group, pulled me aside. I was venting my frustration at how slow progress was and how I wish we could move faster. Ralph gave me the advice of a sage business leader, "That's the difference between you and me - between youth and experience. The young are impatient - they want to change everything and get frustrated with time. Experienced leaders work better with time and recognize that real changes come when the causes and conditions are right. They work to create these causes and conditions for more powerful results." The same is true of your experience as well. All things of great value take time. And you have the patience to be sure they are done right.
What ideas do you have for how experience can trump youth in winning the job?
What are your job-hunt stories where you either won the job based on experience, or lost the job based on age?