Can Your Age Hurt You?

Can your age hurt you when you are competing for a job? I got this question today in my email. And my answer is unequivocally a resounding YES – ABSOLUTELY! It can hurt you if you let it. Anything can hurt you, but the only way your age hurts you in the hiring process is if you allow it. I know that may sound unfair, but I am serious.

I know there are people out in the world who will discriminate against you in this current job market. They find out that you have 30 years experience and that automatically disqualifies you from certain jobs. Here’s how I see it. If you believe that your age will get in the way of you finding employment, than that is precisely what will happen. BUT, if you know that you are good at what you do, and you know how to communicate it to a hiring manager, than age becomes on a number on the page and your experience and your skill set become valuable commodities to the hiring manager.

It’s about value! It’s about marketing! It’s about confidence! It’s about belief in yourself. I don’t know how to help you understand that any obstacle placed in front of you by hiring managers, is just that. AN obstacle. So the question beceomes, “what are you going to do about it, if people get hung up on your age?” How do you overcome that obstacle? It is not impossible, and it may be difficult, but it is scalable and you can and will get a job, I don’t care how old you are. If the way you are interviewing hinders you from getting a job, than change the way you interview. If age is a problem, learn how to communication who you are, and what you will bring to their organization, by using valuable marketing tools, to market you! One of those tools is Shameless Marketing, It is important that you know how to market yourself. How to present yourself, so that age – becomes a MOOT, or mute point.

See Article: Shameless Marketing

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