Are you holding too tight to the past? Answering that question can be a valuable exercise when you’re feeling like a victim of discrimination.
If you’re over 50 and have looked for a job in tech, chances are you’ve experienced the frustration of not getting interviews or offers. When they don’t come through, it can be hard to tell whether you’ve been discriminated against because of your age. But it’s easy to be suspicious.
Marketing guru and all-around wise man Seth Godin was recently asked on his Akimbo podcast how to handle people who don’t seem to be giving you the benefit of the doubt. The perfect example: When you suspect a hiring manager is not giving you the benefit of the doubt because of your age. Godin’s answer is that we can do everything possible to be sure the signals we send earn the benefit of the doubt. Later, we can change the culture.
Let’s look at some classic reasons you may not be given the benefit of the doubt based on age.
Eliminating age “tells”
You may be unwittingly sending some age “tells,” just like a poker player sending very subtle clues about a hand. Godin references a common one: the Hotmail (or AOL!) email address. Sure, you could say it’s not fair for you to have to change your email address. After all, you’ve had the Hotmail address forever. Well, that’s exactly the problem. It shows. Instead, you can shed your stubbornness to eliminate this age signal.
Other “tells” to age are college graduation dates on your LinkedIn profile or a resume with several decades of experience listed. Is it infuriating that these things are often advised to be left off of resumes? Yes, but your goal is to get the job. Then you will be in a position to change the culture. Only by releasing these tells can that happen.
Proving comfort with tech
Another stereotype of over-50 candidates by hiring managers is presumed discomfort with technology. It’s your job to anticipate this and determine how you can demonstrate that you are actually comfortable with technology. How can you do this? You can pinpoint technology relevant to your role and earn certifications to demonstrate competence. You can create a rich social media presence. Or you can use technology to build a successful fundraising campaign for a cause you care about. These are just a few ideas.
Showing culture fit
Finally, a subtle area of age discrimination during interviews is culture fit. An enlightened hiring manager will know that culture fit isn’t “feeling comfortable going out for drinks together.” Rather, it’s determining whether the candidate is fully aligned with the company values. Target companies that you genuinely are in alignment with. Or seek out companies that have demonstrated they view culture fit based on values.
Maybe it’s time to admit that stubbornly holding to things that are sending the wrong signals is not a smart approach. Once you earn the benefit of the doubt and have the job, you then have a wonderful seat from which to begin giving it to others.