Age Discrimination – Alive and Well at the Executive Level
You cannot stop the employer from thinking that your age and current ability are linked. What is silly about this is its root.
We have seen many résumés with the phrase; “More than 25 years experience in” and “A seasoned executive” These phrases are only “code” for “I am an older candidate” which we all know is the kiss of death. It is a common belief in both recruiting and employer circles that if you are over 50 your performance will be affected. Most of us who are over 50 would beg to differ. The notion comes from relevance of age and athletic ability. As we all know, when we get older our physical abilities are affected but that does not mean our minds are gone.
The notion that at age 50 you are too old to perform leadership duties is ridiculous to say the least!
Age 50 is for most the peak of their knowledge, leadership, and performance ability. You must get in front of the employer to prove you capabilities to them and eliminate this stereotype. Your only way of doing this is with your résumé. Over 50 the résumé becomes the single most important tool in your arsenal.
People do not care how old or overweight a ball player as long as they score.
Your résumé must show the employer that if you are given the ball, you will score. That will ensure you prevent the employer from categorizing you as less capable due to your age.
What most résumé writers do is tell you that you should leave dates off your résumé. Don’t do it!
Don’t think for a minute that your next employer who has the power to hire you with 6 figure salary, and “supervise” your activities is not smart enough to know you are hiding your age.
All you can do is your best. If you can get into the mind of the employer, you will do better.
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I am in the middle of competition for a CEO position and am at least 10 years older than the other candidate. What I have emphasized in the interviews and conversations is the variety of situations I have dealt with – especially the bad ones. This way I can express how relevant my experience is and that I can see problems developing before earlier because I have the experience and scars to see things as they are developing and are still manageable..
Additionally, I emphasize my experience in leading change and making quick adaptations to the market conditions. This point is key in the current discussions because the new parent company wants the recently acquired company to change quickly and acquire other businesses to expand its footprint in the market.