Job Interview Ageism
Last week we discussed age discrimination in the job interview and a few of my personal theories on why job interview ageism exists.
Before anyone gets into a huff
Candidates are not declined because of their age. Qualified candidates of all backgrounds are declined because the company is afraid their attitude will upset the company culture. If you are a qualified candidate, it isn’t your age that will decline you. Usually, it is your attitude around your age that won’t fit into the culture.
Candidates are declined because their attitude points out differences in a negative way. The specific attitude that points to negative differences vs. diversity as a positive that get the candidate into trouble. This is often a symptom of a larger outlook on life which isn’t limited to age, race, size etc.
We all want to work with colleagues who treat us as equals vs. someone who thinks they are better than me because of their age, size, or knowledge. This applies to both candidates younger and older. If someone has 10 years more experience than me, it is obvious they know more than me. I assume they are more skilled than me. This doesn’t have to be pointed out with subtle insults or unintentional comments about my age that make me “feel different or less than”. These comments, even the unintentional ones come off as condescending. Personally, I want to be hired or not hired because of my job knowledge and experience. Not my age or because I am an Insta model.
It’s not age, it’s self-consciousness about age, size, shape, etc.
If a candidate is self-conscious about age, their physical size, or qualifications during the interview, we assume this will probably show up in customer interactions. If you reveal a negative attitude about your potential difference in an interview, you are probably not going to be hired. You won’t be declined because of your age. You will be declined because of how you handle your age and how you make your interviewer feel. If you are comfortable with your “difference” and handle your difference with grace, it shouldn’t be a barrier. The way to handle any “difference” with grace is to not bring up your “difference”.
I hire candidates over 50 on a regular basis
There are many positions where we are looking for candidates who have 15-20 plus years of experience. These candidates are in their 50’s and 60’s. There are two defining qualities that lead to hiring:
- Confidence that the candidate has kept up with their industry practices and is open to new ideas. We don’t hire candidates who give us the impression they are practicing their craft the same way they were 15-20 years ago.
- The candidate is comfortable with themselves. Consequently, this candidate is easy to work with, train, be trained by, and discuss new ideas with. The candidate is comfortable with their intellect, qualifications, physical appearance, the emotional state of mind, etc. No one wants to be around anyone who is always putting down their looks, weight, lack of hair, or age.
We want your authentic self. We want your diversity and the experiences that come with a long and successful career. No one wants to work with anyone’s baggage.
We have all met a physically beautiful person who is nervous or conscious about being overweight. We didn’t think they were overweight, but by bringing it up, an elephant was introduced to the room. What am I supposed to say when I hear someone comment on their weight or age?
No one wants to hire a candidate if the candidate comes with an elephant
After talking with 1000s of candidates, in my opinion, if you are positive, confident, and comfortable about your “perceived” “difference,” you have a real shot. By comfortable, I mean the difference doesn’t come up! Address your topic of expertise in a confident and articulate manner, and people will listen. We are hiring you for your expertise, not your “difference”.
Not saying ageism doesn’t exist
It absolutely does. I have experienced a bias against older workers, and it was assumed English is a second language before anyone met me, to name just a few. What I am saying is that you have some control over how you are perceived, even if you think you are being discriminated against. I am not saying you are going to overcome someone who has made up their mind, but you can minimize the impact you make.
Uncomfortable with your “differences”
I won’t decline a candidate because they are diverse in background or age. I do decline candidates because they make other people uncomfortable about their “difference”. Like most employees, I want to work with people from all walks of life. As it relates to age, this doesn’t mean we need to go out and buy skinny hipster jeans and wear baseball caps backward. It means to dress current for your age and industry. We can dress conservatively while still showing your boss and your customer “current”.
We hire candidates for their expertise and their ability to focus on expertise. Successful candidates don’t allow their differences to become a distraction.
Who do you want to work with?
I want to work with people who are current with modern professional practices in finance, HR, development, marketing, and product, etc.
A few years ago, Wal-Mart ran a series of television commercials that featured the role of the professional greeter. I really appreciated these commercials, and unfortunately, I don’t see this role at Wal-Mart anymore. These commercials help me make my point. Greeters are comfortable with themselves and typically late in their careers. They smile, say hello to everyone, and hand out stickers to the little wee ones. Imagine yourself interviewing candidates for this position. You absolutely need employees in these roles who are comfortable with themselves. Greeters should not be embarrassed or self-conscious about their physicality. The customer won’t appreciate the self-consciousness. Greeters need to be comfortable and confident when their friends and relatives walk through the door.
The Greeter’s interview
Can you imagine hiring a candidate for the role of greeter if they make a negative comment about their age? Someone who is comfortable with themselves wouldn’t think about making a negative comment about themselves or anyone else.
- “I saw commercials on TV showing a bunch of old folks doing this job. As an old-timer, I am qualified”
- “I saw the commercials on TV and saw a bunch of old folks at the front door. Wal-Mart needs some younger blood in the role, not those old timers. I am 30 and can bring a fresh perspective.”
- “I figured this job doesn’t take any skill. All you need to do is say hello to people when they walk through the door”. (candidate made a negative comment about the role)
- Showing up to the interview with clothes that are 10 years old and showing their age
All of the above will land you a declination.
I probably wouldn’t hire someone late in their career if they showed up in hipster jeans and a baseball cap on backward. The perception is they are trying too hard to be early in their career. Conservative khakis and a polo shirt or button-down are completely appropriate.
It’s all in your attitude
In most instances, it is your attitude and how you communicate that attitude visually and verbally. It’s our outward cues that will determine if discrimination will be experienced. If you want to minimize exposure to discrimination in a job interview, appear current, comfortable with yourself, and avoid bringing up your potential difference.
See you at the after party,
HRNasty
nasty: an unreal maneuver of incredible technique, something that is ridiculously good, tricky and manipulative but with a result that can’t help but be admired, a phrase used to describe someone who is good at something. “He has a nasty forkball”.
If you felt this post was valuable please subscribe here. I promise no spam,
and “like” us on Facebook, I read all comments below. Thank you!
Yeah Um Nope
July 10, 2026Utter bullshit. I’ve recruited for 20+ years and I’ve seen hiring managers over and over again look at resumes with work history going back 20 or more years and go “oh they probably won’t enjoy this” (i.e., they can’t possibly be cool at that age) or “we need someone with more energy” (i.e., youth) or “they’ve been in it too long, they won’t be able to change” (i.e., old dog/new trick stereotype). In tech, it was bad, and in nonprofits, it’s…just as bad. A whole lot of hiring teams know that there’s a large contingent of older folks who aren’t robot ‘yes’ people and that they might actually have to treat them as humans if they hire them on…so they decline them based on resumes and select under-qualified applicants to interview because they’ll be easier to boss around…only to realize that their turnover in many sectors will skyrocket because of these poor business decisions that yes, yes indeed, were based on age and the insecurities and ignorant attitudes of those in HR and Hiring Manager roles who think diversity is only about color and ethnicity and not all the other EEOC categories.
God I hate it when HR folks claim that there’s no such thing as certain forms of bigotry and that it’s purely the applicant’s fault for taking it the wrong way, when a shit ton of hiring managers – of all ages – discriminate based on age. Shame on you for furthering ageism.
I dare you to leave the job market for a few years and then try to return, as many retirees have done and continue to do, and be told that they “don’t have the qualifications” for the job when it asks for 2 years of customer service experience and they have 10 or 20 or 30. I dare you to change careers in your 40s like my husband did, work his way back up again over another decade, do well at certain companies who appreciate ALL forms of diversity, then go to a new one where the average age is instead 22, and be turned down five times in a row for a promotion, always given to someone with minimal experience and often too naive to see what they’re getting into. And the turnover happens, over and over and over.
There are always folks with attitude issues that affect their probability for success in the job hunt who mistakenly attribute it to discrimination, but to claim it doesn’t exist because YOU supposedly have never done it? What the actual fck. You should know better by now, especially in the PNW where the passive aggressive freeze is strong and just ‘cause they don’t say it, don’t mean they aren’t feeling it.