Too often I hear from recruiters they are looking for a “younger person”. But are they really? If you are over 50 and in the job market, you may be familiar with being brushed aside due to your age. Here are a few good pointers for your pitch summarized by Robin Ryan.
Sell your experience assets.
- Superior work ethic. You will put in the effort and productivity to get the job done. You won’t refuse to do any aspect of the job the boss asks you to do, unlike millennials who seem to be very picky about what they will and won’t do. Managers find this very frustrating and it’s very reassuring you will do what is asked because no one likes everything about their job, but all pieces do need to get completed.
- Loyal, reliable, dependable. You are unlikely to want a lot of time off for concerts, skiing, beach time, childcare problems, etc. another plus.
- Good customer service with diverse customers including global clients. True customer service has become a rarity anymore. 50+ year old’s still know how to treat customers so they feel valued and important. This is what brings in the company’s bottom-line revenue. Highly valued by an employer.
- Mentoring others. You can teach and coach those who need to learn the jobs under you plus you can share your wisdom with other co-workers and develop employees that need to grow in their jobs.
- Problem-solving. You have seen so many types of problems that you can remain calm when faced with business cycles ups and downs or crises and you just hunker down and solve the issues.
- Leadership experience. You may have led teams, divisions, departments, or programs that have delivered significant results. Mention that under your leadership the company has made money or made numerous cost savings or productivity enhancements or met its mission or exceeded goals and expectations.
- Wide breadth of experience. You have more knowledge and can think more globally and creatively to come up with new, innovative ideas and solutions. Give an example or two.
- “Unlikely to need maternity leave.” Sounds funny but employers said it and maternity leaves disrupt the business flow and some women go out for leave and never come back. Employers like that baby boomers are past this stage and are stable workers. Smile and make a joke of this plus point.
Written by Robin Ryan – Career Counselor
