Ageism is bad, on that we can all agree. While laws and hiring processes will help eliminate this practice, the real solution comes when age is irrelevant. An employee’s age is neither good nor bad, it just doesn’t matter.
Granted, there are very real systemic contributors to age discrimination. Yet, certain attributes are too often wrongly associated with older employees. These include discomfort with new technology, rigidity in attitude, and being out of touch with mainstream culture. Older workers can remove these objections with some simple shifts that make age irrelevant.
Here are five ways you can become ageless in the workplace.
Be relatable.
Work success is a result of skills plus relationships. And relationships depend on establishing connection. Colleagues need to be able to relate to you. No one expects someone in midlife or older to have the same interests or cultural references as someone just getting out of school. But the more you can seek commonality the better. Keep current. If you love baseball, let your passion show. If you’re a parent, be open about the challenges and joys. If music is your jam, let people know. You’ll find younger people who share your interest in topics like these that have cross-generational appeal. And suddenly you’re ageless.
Keep your technology skills up-to-date.
This is huge, especially for your self-confidence. Sure, you’re working with digital natives, but it’s a myth that digital natives are more adept at technology than digital immigrants. Anyway, after an initial adjustment period (and perhaps learning the language), immigrants quickly are on par with natives. By developing competence with the new tools, you gain credibility. You don’t need to be a power user, just competent. Ask for help, when needed. Invest in whatever it takes to use technology with comfort.
Demonstrate curiosity.
Honestly, this could apply to everything else here. Curiosity is at the base of learning and development. There’s one attitude that younger people have a hard time dealing with: It’s a stubborn person holding onto the past. But really, that’s an unappealing characteristic in any age group, not just elders. Being curious means exploring your world and your industry, especially what’s new and interesting.
Dress the part.
Clothes shouldn’t matter (just like appearances), but they do send a signal. You certainly don’t need to dress younger than your age, and most of us cringe when we see that, even from our peers. But please, dress like you’re in the game. Like you’re interested in life, in the now, not the past.
Be so good they can’t ignore you.
Cal Newport’s tagline (and book title) is never as relevant as for those who may be judged on age. While having the skills isn’t everything (because discrimination does exist, even against those with the skills), you’re doing yourself a favor by being exceptional. The corollary to this is that you can’t keep your competence a secret. Is your LinkedIn profile up-to-date, even if you’re not job-hunting? Do you let others know about your skills, whether it’s by taking on new projects at your job where you can show them off, or by having a social media brand that signals them?
Ageism should not exist, and companies should use every means possible to eliminate it. But until that shift permeates our culture, we experienced employees set ourselves up for success by making age a non-issue. We prove our worth every day in the workplace, and age and ageism never cross the mind of our co-workers. The point is not to pretend to be a different age than you are. The point is to be sure you are the kind of employee anyone would want to hire and work with–no matter your age.