How to Avoid the Bear of Ageism: At Work & In a Job Search

We've often heard the quotes:

Age is just a number.

OR

Age is a mindset.

With 5 generations now in the workplace, values, generational differences and age differences abound.

Now I'm not here to share general personality/work ethic traits of the different generations (though I have done multiple presentations on this topic). Instead, I want to share best practice tips to help you avoid any potential age discrimination at work or if you are in job search mode.

Tips for Magnifying Your Worth at Work:

1. Be a continuous learner. No matter your age, don't allow yourself to become stale in your area of expertise. Find a webinar, live workshop, networking event, etc. at least once a month.

2. Find a podcast. No matter if it's in your area of expertise or on a 'softer skill', like leadership, management or just being the best possible human you can be, podcasts are more available than ever before and many are free!

3. Implement something new. Based upon your area of interest: coaching employees, becoming a technical guru, don't just do #2 above, but actually implement what you are learning!

4. Volunteer. You've heard me mention this time and again. I especially see the lack of this happening in larger organizations. Often times, clients tell me they have to 'say in their lane' but they really want to become involved in another area of the company outside of their department.

   1. Seek out an initiative that you're passionate about, i.e. community involvement, working a trade show, campus recruiting- just ask! Share why you'd be 'the person' to help. Think in terms of value and problem-solving.

      1. For example, 'You've been through two mergers and seen the various business cycles; you've built x number of teams and mentored x number of individuals who've progressed through various leadership positions, etc.'

5. Develop a cross-mentoring relationship. Emotional intelligence, for instance, comes with time and experience- something the younger generations at work cannot have based upon 'time in grade' shall we say. In turn, perhaps your mentee can bring you up to speed on a newer technology, such as Trello, to help ease and organize your workload.

6. Get active on LinkedIn. This is often a missed opportunity to grow your network and showcase your knowledge and expertise as well as support your organization. And by the way- update your photo!!! (Profiles with an updated picture are 7-9x more likely to be viewed by recruiters, key decision makers and others.)

Tips for Avoiding Ageism in Job Search Mode:

1. Color your hair. I may be old school, but here is an article that shares a bit more.

2. See #6 above; use and updated picture on LinkedIn.

3. Avoid any communication using Times New Roman; instead, use Arial, Calibri or the Tahoma font.

4. Become an expert on the 'goings on' in your industry or your target job. There are SO many 'free' publications, blogs, webcasts, etc. Continuing education should become a DAILY WAY OF LIFE when you are in job search mode.

5. Be crystal clear on your value proposition and accomplishments in relation to the job at hand. Too much rambling will lose people.

   1. Focus on the last 10-15 years in your career; beyond that, the relevance is lost.

Too many of us do not spend intentional time managing our own development and instead rely too heavily on our employers. This is not realistic nor fair to the employer or employee.

We each need to own our development and career destiny and manage it according to our career vision.

Not everyone is a forever fit for every job, nor is every work environment or culture right for every employee for all seasons and ad infinitum years.

If you are an employer struggling with onboarding, or aligning a role to a current employee, let's chat.

If you are considering launching a job search and feel adrift, I also have time slots reserved for you- to help you brainstorm potential solutions.

In the words of Aristotle:

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit."