Over 40 and the job hunt part 2

Over 40 and confident 

Over 40:  Part 2, the interview

In this economy, there is a perception that being over 40 is a tough place to be. I think folks have it wrong.  The assumption from the candidate’s perspective is that “over 40” is too old.  I am as cynical as the next guy, and I don’t agree.

As a recruiter, “age” doesn’t scare me. What does scare me is an “old school / slow school” attitude. What scares me are individuals who have not kept up with the times. There is a perception that folks over 40 think and act a certain way. The fear of hiring someone over 40 is that they may not have the strength, stamina for long hours, technology chops, stubbornness to new processes, get sick, or stereotypes. There, I said it. I am in HR, and I should be politically correct, but I recognize prejudice and human nature quicker than most.

What scares me in an interview

We have all met the person who called attention to themselves by saying, “I am overweight,” “I am short,” or “I am old.” We didn’t notice these qualities until they brought it up. These folks are NOT comfortable in their skin. These comments make everyone else feel uncomfortable and awkward. WTF am I supposed to say when I hear these comments?

Yes, age can be overcome. As a guy who has hired many individuals over 40, over 50, AND over 60 as individual contributors and managers, it happens. People over 40 are hired every day.  How does it happen?

Overcome age

1.  The folks we have hired were very comfortable with who they were. They were comfortable in their skin, age, appearance, and experience. Like their younger counterparts, they tend to be proactive in all facets of their lives. They showed that they could help others with less experience become better. Candidates over 40 showed this in a calming, relaxed, and comfortable way. These candidates give us confidence. They talked to people with less experience as if they were talking with their peers.

Are you jaded towards different generations?

There are plenty of young people who would appreciate someone who they could learn from and that would act as a mentor and not as a manager. The workforce is filled with a generation of folks who are proactive when it comes to learning. Gen Y and Millennials are voracious learners. The workforce is also filled with a generation of baby boomers that are jaded with their attitudes toward young people. Break out of being jaded.

As successful candidates go through the interview process, they answer the questions with examples that show they are just as quick to learn, have the stamina to long hours, have kept up on technology, have adapted to new processes, and live a healthy lifestyle. They shatter preconceived perceptions with their examples.

Interview Question:  “Tell me about yourself.”

Answer: I love to exercise. I jog 2 miles daily and belong to a running group that runs a 5K a month.  I enjoy it and blog about it regularly. Professionally, I have been in publishing for the past 10 years. I have been in publishing for the past 20 years and have seen technology change and make the world more efficient. 

Be proactive and stifle any doubts a recruiter may have around any of the hang-ups mentioned above when it comes to being over 40.

2.  A majority of recruiters are under 40. Most are probably under 30.  Remember, this is a game, and the recruiters are the referee, the judge, and the executioner. We need to play by their rules. Figure out what they judge you on, and score a 10 in all the categories. We need to score 11’s.  You need to win them over. They not only need to like you, but THEY also NEED TO RELATE TO YOU.  These are two very different mindsets.

HR is the face of the company

Most HR people are told and believe they are the company’s ” face.” It is an ego booster from the executive team to the HR department, and HR is dumb enough to believe it. If they are the face of the company, they will want to hire people they can relate to. They want to hire people who reflect them. They want to hire the next “winner”.  Relate to them.

Young people will either look up to you or look down on you when you are 10 years older than them. In the workplace, they either want to learn from you or not have anything to do with you. They don’t need a desire to hang out with you, but there needs to be a connection.

I have said this before, but how you present yourself matters. Dress matters, hairstyle matters, eyeglasses matters. Phone matters (if yours is old, don’t bring it to the interview. You won’t be taking any calls). If you are over 40, you have had 20 years to be the subject matter in your field.  Look successful. You have had 20 professional years to figure out how to present yourself. Smile.

Giveaways that date us in an interview

Dated hairstyles and clothes that don’t fit the body or age are signs that the person hasn’t kept up. They can still probably do the job, but the first impression suffers. This is an interview, not the Mr. Rodgers show. I am not saying we need to have the latest fashion—far from it—but we need to be current.

I have yet to meet a recruiter or HR person (representative of the company) who didn’t have a certain amount of polish. The company will try to put an excellent forward facing image, and they aren’t going to coach or develop it. They pick people who are conscious of how they present themselves. The company makes an effort to present its best foot forward, and so should you.

Yes, folks over 40, 50, and 60 land jobs every day of the week.

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 good at something. “He has a nasty forkball”.

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