Most companies are very conventional in their hiring approach. Hire young people and ideally let them work till they retire. All the large corporations that were set up in the 20th century whether it be Automobile companies, Banks, Insurance, and Electronics almost all of them focused on hire to retire policies. However, things started to change with the advent of IT Services companies, Tech startups, Mobile companies and all these fostered a culture of freelancing, working remotely, being loyal to your skill more than to your company. This shift intensified in the first decade of the 21st century. Older organisations that dominated the business landscape found their business up-ended by various technological innovations and they have been laying off people in the last decade to survive. So does age matter when getting hired for a company?
This has resulted in an unusual change in the employment marketplace. There are many professionals now at the age of 40’s, 50’s and even 60’s who are actively seeking employment. These professionals given a chance may not have readily changed their employment so easily. With business changes and layoffs being the order of the day its very easy to be very self-conscious about being a certain age when the average age of the CEO has decreased dramatically.
While age necessarily does not necessarily mean a hindrance to employment many companies are reluctant to actively consider such candidates.
But it also means experience, maturity, evolvement, and more. Hence, there are companies that are open to employ people after a certain age. Those who are looking forward to getting hired after 40, 50 or 60 shouldn’t feel conscious or wallow in self-pity. What you all should do is get up with pride, be confident and proud of your age and go about job searching. You will find companies waiting to recruit you.
So if you are 40 +, or even 50+ and actively looking for a job, look at the following steps and you will be on your way:
18 Best Tips to Getting Hired after 40, 50 or 60 years:
1. Try and try till you succeed:
Many countries have are laws against discrimination related to age. These type of discrimination will be more subtle and packaged within other acceptable reasons of rejection.The universe of companies is large enough and it’s important to not brooding over rejection too much and feel bad about your age. Your age is something you can’t change and hence, regard it as a positive factor. Stick to the job hunt and keep up the discipline to find a job.
2. Work on the challenges:
Whenever you face a rejection for your job applications identify the reasons why you were not considered for the job. Identifying the gaps in your skill set or the positioning of your Profile is very important for your next job application. It’s also an important way to understand how employers think.Knowing the gaps helps you understand what can be bridged easily. Filing skill gaps is easier than others but is challenging. Bridging experience gaps are not so easy and can be only done over time and may require some creative solutions.
3. Overcome your fears and anxieties first:
If you have been in your previous job for a long time, looking for a new job is anyway a nerve wracking experience, if you feel under confident about your age then it adds up to even more uncertainty in your mind. First you need to get confident about your age, confront your anxieties and only then you can convince others that your age isn’t that important a matter. People usually look at you the way you look at yourself. And as that saying goes, ‘Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent,’ feel confident so that others have confidence in you.
4. Drop the ‘I am the know-it-all’ attitude:
Many professionals in their 40’s and 50’s come with a very large body of experience. In your job application and interview process it’s very easy to get carried away with the “Been there, done that”. This is puts off many employers. It’s important to carry this experience in a professional manner and highlight that as an area where you can make an impact to the employer organization.
5. Be flexible:
Flexibility and adjustment is needed at every course of one’s life, then why not show it at work too? Be open to learn new things and show readiness to accept challenges. The pace of change at the workplace has accelerated dramatically. If it was just the introduction of email in the 90’s, it’s a ton of ERP workflow systems like SAP or other digital tools that drive workplace efficiency today. Don’t be stubborn and resist. If a job requires you to learn a new skill, learn it. Don’t get stuck in ‘I have reached 50 or 60, I am not sure, I need to learn this now’ approach. When you are open to learning, and try out new duties, you will find many opportunities beating to your door.
6. Change your outlook towards yourself and life:
Once a person reaches a certain point in his life, a sense of contentment and complacency creeps in and the motivation to keep pushing decreases. This type of thinking is reinforced by a few job rejections. Depression sets in and one starts to view everything with a negative mind set. This is specifically true if you are older and often candidates get beat up on the age factor in a not so direct manner. Be positive towards life. Don’t be hard on yourself, neither should you feel sorry for yourself. When you change your outlook, you will find that the whole world’s attitude towards you have changed as well. Then go about the job hunting with a smile on your face.
7. Don’t pay heed to what ‘people’ have to say:
It can happen that when you confide in some people that you are looking for a job at 50 or 60, you will get all sorts of feedback including those that they may try to dissuade you and comment negatively. Do not let such negative attitude affect you at all. It’s important to remember what you want out of your life, you will get as long as you are ready to work hard for it. You try for jobs, send out resumes, you will receive a favourable response. Don’t get depressed just because someone made a few hasty remarks.
8. Analyse what needs improvement:
If you have had no success in getting any interviews even after sending resumes everywhere, you must have started lamenting that it is your age that is causing hindrance. It might not. May be there is something in your resume itself. Revamp your resume, see and present your experience in today’s context and change accordingly. If you have not bothered to open social media accounts so far, then go ahead do it. Create a LinkedIn profile and if you already have one, the revamp it. Take action to get some result.
9. Polish your interview skills:
If you haven’t had the need to attend a job interview in the past some years or so, and now you are looking for a job, then this is the time to polish your interview skills. Interviews and recruiting process have undergone lots of changes and you should be aware of the latest trends and fads. Whether you like it or not, you will be subjected to it. You can get ample information from articles and websites. If possible, seek the help of a friend for a mock interview and record it. Check your voice, your posture, the way you speak, etc. Work on these and be prepared for the interview call!
10. List the temporary and off-the field jobs you have worked in:
Sometimes, a company may want to hire a candidate in the 50-60 job for a part-time job or for a certain assignment or even for an interim position. In such opportunities, previous experiences might come handy. Even your volunteering work can help showcase your mature and experienced side of your professional personality.
11. Get on to social media:
There is this assumption about people in the age 50-60 that they are not so tech-aware. Refute these notions by being tech-savvy. Open social media accounts. Have a twitter account and tweet about latest development in your field on a regular basis. You can even start a blog for that matter. This creates an online presence for you and also generates a favourable impression in the minds of the recruiters that look you up before meeting you. In today’s recruitment methods, social media accounts rank high. It could work in your favour too.
12. Appearance does help to some point:
On one side, it is often said that it is not appearance that matters for a job but qualifications and experience. If it is possible, dye your hair or get a nice hair cut. Also change your dressing style to make it more contemporary. But whatever it is, do not try too hard or over do it. Dress your age with a little style to spice it up.
13. A job is what pays you:
Do not stick on to the rigid definition of a ‘job’. Anything that pays you for your expertise is a job. And today, you will find various ways in which you can earn money. It can be a freelance job, or work as a research fellow, market research assignments or even a few hours for consultation. Look around for opportunities and grab that comes your way as long as you are comfortable and happy with it. The internet is a great way to look for opportunities that help you make money off your passion.
14. Your age is a plus, not a minus:
The years that lie in your age signify a fulfilled and well-lived life. Your age is all about experience and learning. It is a positive asset. At this age, there are lesser chances of making mistakes that a new college graduate would do. Once you look at your age positively, others will do so too.
15. Let go of certain things:
When you are about to enter a new job phase, there will be certain factors that may not be to your liking, from simple things to more complicated ones. May be you are not comfortable with your seat. You can ask for a change and if that does not happen, do not sit and complain. See how you can fix things up. May be, at times, you may feel that the salary does not match your experience. Its important to remember that , most of the time salary is related to the experience in the job and not any experience in general. You may not like that your supervisor is younger than you. Whatever the issues might be, smile and get along with it. In the long run, it is the job that matters and the fact that you are gainfully employed with a decent pay.
16. Getting a job after 40:
Age 40 is considered young, mostly. The 40’s is where most people set themselves up to become CEO’s of the future. Yet, when you are looking for a job after 40, or if you are looking for a job in a different field, then better brace yourself. Gather all the information you can about the new field and if you need to get additional skills, then be it. You will find that recruiters are a lot more responsive in the 40’s than beyond. If you are looking to change fields, you might need to reskill some and position yourself differently to really create opportunities.
17. Getting hired after 50:
If possible, it is best to seek the help of a career coach or a recruiting agent for they will be able to guide you well of the possible job adjustments you may have to make or of the companies who are looking for experienced candidates. Be confident about yourself and your age and send resumes. Do not be resistant to change, be flexible and embrace what comes your way with respect.
18. Getting hired after 60:
Check your resume, does it make you look too old? Instead of listing each and every job in your resume, just include those ones that will be relevant to the job. If you are not very tech aware then it might be a good time to start working on it. Brush up your computer skills, be active on social media, go for a subtle makeover and if a job requires that you attend a course, go ahead. Grab the opportunities that are coming your way by being flexible and adjusting.
Age should not deter you from living a fulfilling life. There may be talk of recession and growing unemployment but at the same time, remember that new markets are emerging and new jobs are being created. Getting a new job requires efforts and this is true for any new college graduate or young employee too. If you are getting no responses, then it is may not necessarily be because of your age.
Try some of our suggestions and get job ready for some of the emerging new jobs. Work hard on your attitude and approach and build a confident and positive outlook about taking on jobs that come your way. Your next job is just an interview away, and your age, 40, 50 or 60, can work as an asset. All you need is a change of mindset.
