Whether you’re considering a job or career change, or you’re running your own business, ageism in the workforce, as elsewhere, is still alive and well.
There are hopeful indications that attitudes and practices are changing. The Bureau of Labor anticipates that by 2010 we will have a shortfall of 10,033,000 skilled workers. Older workers will help offset this shortfall and even now are often valued over younger workers for their stability and wisdom.
Nevertheless, we all know that attitudes change slowly, so it’s the better part of wisdom to be pro-active in countering ageism in the places where it could limit our options.
So how do we do that? Let’s think about the answer in two parts: general attitude and presentation; and specific career management strategies.
Personal Style and Habits of Mind
For a number of years now I’ve stared at those gray hairs in the mirror and tried to decide whether they reflected my great wisdom and maturity or my creeping obsolescence. My personal conclusion has been to let nature take its course and resist the coloring option, but instead take particular care in make-up and wardrobe choices to keep in step with current styles and trends. This may mean that I retire favorite outfits sooner or schedule a makeover more often than before.
Then there’s the matter of staying current with topics of popular culture of interest to people younger than ourselves. This often seems to require artful balancing, to do justice to our own hard-earned perspectives on life without resorting to dismissive opinions of the “less mature”. Some suggestions:
- Actively seek and maintain friendships with people at least a decade younger than you.
- Be informed about movies and other items of popular culture and – this part is important! – articulate your own perspective on them, so you can both listen and contribute during conversation.
- Develop curiosity about the priorities and values expressed in younger sub-cultures, even if they don’t match yours.
- Google alerts is a convenient way to stay informed about particular areas of interest. See at http://www.google.com/alerts
Have you noticed your knees creaking when you stand after a period of sitting? Aging cartilage apparently resists stretching until it’s warmed up. The mind is the same way. Habits of thinking get set and resist change unless we consciously ask them to stretch! So watch for those assumptions and attitudes that strive to keep things remaining the same, and invite them on a daily basis to remain elastic. An easy rule of thumb for how to do this is to look for 2-3 patterns in your everyday life that give the comforts of familiarity – restaurants you frequent, favored topics of conversation, types of music you listen to – and intentionally change them. Suppleness of mind will propagate if you begin to cultivate it.
Career Management Strategies
Whether employed or running our own businesses, it’s a matter of fact that most people we deal with are getting younger, relative to us. To a greater or lesser extent, in order to work or do business with us they need to know that we are willing and able to be in step with what’s important to them.
What does this mean for us, in practical terms? The following are some suggestions for being pro-active in staying current:
- Commit to a program of on-going learning
- Stay current with the latest technology in your field
- Read trade journals and be familiar with new trends in your field
- Scan job listings in your industry to see what skills are in demand
- Cultivate a skill set that’s in high demand. Writing and public speaking, leadership, sales, negotiations and managing budgets are generally of particular value.
- Know your value as a veteran
- While you may not have the energy you had ten years ago, you have a balance and maturity of perspective to contribute. You may naturally attract a leadership role along with your graying hair. Taking the time to articulate for yourself the specifics of the added value you bring will help make it more apparent and accessible to others.
- Know your limits
- Having clear parameters around what you’re willing and able to do – level of stress, hours at work, new challenges – as well as where your strengths and weaknesses lie give you value, when negotiated judiciously, as a known entity.
I’m sure some of you readers have accumulated useful tips and strategies that support you in “acting your age” and continuing to be active and productive in your work.
2 Comments
Posted by sarah webster on 09/09 at 08:11 PM
hello:
I have been discriminated against because of my age, but you cannot prove it. applied at GEICO, but someone I work with was hired….much younger, and BLACK! I have been sending out resumes, and get a few interviews….Bank of America interviewed me, but again, my age was obviously a factor. I do business with both of these companies, but will definitely not do business with them any more.
I went back to college to get a degree and now all I havae is 30,000 in student loans and a 12.00 an hour job. Needles to say, I am currently defaulting on my loans.
Posted by debra watson on 11/02 at 11:54 AM
I can relate very much with the previous comment. Same situation holds true for me. I retired from the military after serving 20 years in 1994. After a year of interviewing for jobs I finally got into a company as a temp and worked my way to a perm position. However, after 12 years, management changed and suddenly I became an idiot according to new management. I was constantly on a daily basis that something I did was incorrect, now mind you, this is a job I had been doing perfectly fine, received the highest rating on performance reviews for 12 years and now I was an idiot. My last review was straight unacceptables and my world became bleak and shattered. Long story short, I resigned, which is what more or less was behind the treatment; however, to prove in a court would have required money for a lawyer, which I didn’t have. In my time at that position, I raised my children as a single parent, took care of my mother who had been ill, managed my household and earned my bachelor’s degree. I hold a bachelor degree in business administration, have over 30 years experience and currently 3 classes away from my masters degree—I have been sending out my resume for 3 years and still have not been approached for a job, let alone had many interviews. I could guesstimate that of say for every 100 jobs I’ve applied for, I get 1 interview, but mostly zero interviews.
So, does age discrimination exist today—indeed it does!! How can we as a person looking, we can’t. Even if you’re interviewed and feel you didn’t get the job due to age, how can we prove without knowing the background of the person chosen. Unless you have an inside connection, one can’t.