Market Your Maturity as a Job Candidate

In a world that seems to value youth above experience, and where technical and technological expertise is often associated with the newly graduated, do you know how to market your maturity as a job candidate? Because maturity IS a valuable commodity once you have met the other requirements!

Ageism does exist in the job market, but with some savvy marketing you can turn a hiring professional’s mind from the “snow on your roof” to the added value to their organization of your vast wealth of experience and strong leadership skills.

1. Customize your resume. Use the information you get from recruiters, hiring managers and job descriptions to customize your resume to each and every job you apply for. If the description lists 8 requirements, list those 8 and your experience with them. Then add other skills and experience you think would add value to the potential employer.
2. LinkedIn. While resumes are often limited to one or two pages, list ALL your skills and experience (You can list the earliest skills that are still relevant without dates!) on this platform. LinkedIn is where recruiters and employers “shop” for candidates, and so if your buzzwords match the buzzwords on the job, you’ll come up as a possible candidate. It increases your chances of being seen as a match before they notice age.
3. Put your best foot forward. Whether on your resume or your LinkedIn profile, list your most current and most relevant skills first. Are you still adding certifications to your resume? Make a note of that! Being versed in the current hot skills, and a demonstration that you’re still learning and adding value as an employee is very attractive to any company.
4. Highlights. Chances are, if you’re 45 or older, you have quite the set of tools in your tool belt. So, if there are skills or jobs you do NOT want to do? Only highlight the ones you want to use. If being asked to write automation scripts in Fortran makes you want to scream, then just list your Python or C++ skills. Aim your skillset both to current market needs AND to what you want to do: If you crave the familiarity of the Fortran jungle, more power to you, your skills are rare, but the jobs using it may be rare, too, so balance market and preference.
5. Don’t ask, don’t tell. Your age is not a number hiring professionals are allowed to request, so don’t volunteer the number. Avoid mentioning what year you graduated, the year of your first job, and other clear maps to your birth date. If your years of experience number over 20, round down just a bit and use “15+”, or “over 18”. Employers can ask you exactly how many years of experience you have in a skill, but give them the big picture and let them ask for the exact number if they need it. The exception to this tip is when the job description requires a certain number of years of experience, then it’s important that you not round down below that number.
6. Don’t hide. You are the best candidate for this job. You, as you are, offer all this potential employer needs and more, so don’t hide behind a younger façade. A new suit is fine, but there’s no need to dye hair, use cosmetics, or present a false front. Be yourself in the job interviews and you’ll be hired for being that same self!