#JobSearch : Job Hunting? It’s Not Your Age It’s Something Else. Age Discrimination is Still Alive and Well in the Hiring World.

Age discrimination is still alive and well in the hiring world. Not hearing back from an employer when you apply for a job is one of the most painful aspects of a professional job search, but it’s very much a reality during the crazy pandemic of 2020. Baby Boomers have to wonder, is it my age? Or is it something else?

“99% of the time, companies will not get back to you,” says Brenda Abdilla, a Certified Career & Leadership Coach. She is the author of an insightful new book, Outsmarting Crazytown: A Business Novel About How Derailed Professionals Can Get Back On Track (2020, Indie Books International). She explains, “You are a professional who has earned respect in your field with an impressive track record, humbling yourself by applying to job after job. Yet, you hear nothing back from companies where you have applied—even some that have interviewed you. This reality is not about to change. ‘No response’ has become the norm. Expect to hear nothing until you do—and then you can be delighted.”

Abdilla is a Professional Certified Coach, professional speaker, business consultant, and executive recruiter who has worked with thousands of top-level professionals in sales, management, and leadership. She has done executing coaching helping many individuals land a promotion. She refers to the current workplace as living in “Crazytown.”

When asked to explain, she said, “Crazytown is when work turns into a headshaking, logic-defying, maddening place for you. Crazytown can be a situation, a state of being, a culture, or just your own private hell—at work.”

Abdilla does not blame the companies. “It may surprise you to hear that most Crazytown workplaces are not created out of evil or malintent, she says. “We are not talking about a sinking company. On the contrary, at the core of what has gone awry is usually a good intention. The company is trying to save money, or increase profits, or choose a new product path, or expand their market—all good intentions.”

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While many people assume it is age discrimination, Abdilla has a different take. “It’s not your age—it’s something else. At some point, every job seeker over the age of 45 will wonder if they are not getting calls because they are just too old. Unless you apply to roles that obviously attract applicants in their twenties, such as social media or SEO, then chances are there is something other than your age foiling your efforts. The first place to look is your resume to see how well targeted it is for your ideal role. Applicants well into their fifties or early sixties can get plenty of action if they have a clearly written and well-targeted resume, razor-sharp interview skills, and an eagerness that shines through every aspect of the job search process. Easier said than done during the humble act of finding a new role, but worth the work,” she noted.

Here is her advice for anyone over age 50 looking for a new role.

Deal with your career baggage first. The longer you have been in the workplace, the higher the chance you have endured unpleasant experiences that turned into career baggage. Take, for example, Elena (age 51). Elena had a stellar career in land development right up until she was let go in an acquisition a few years ago. The shock and humiliation of being laid-off tainted every aspect of Elena’s search for a new company even though she said she had “let that go.” Elena found the whole process of a job search beneath her, and she didn’t even realize that she was condescending to recruiters and not playing the job search game very well. Elena finally went to a therapist and addressed some of the feelings and damage from the lay-off. She had no idea how much baggage she was still carrying around.

Stay in your lane. So, you are burned-out in your role and ready to try something different? Switching industries or even specialties (like from sales to ops) is very challenging for a seasoned professional—especially once you pass 30. Why? Because the very experience that got you to where you are today is what will keep employers from being able to clearly see the “new you” you have in mind. The more experience you have, the more this becomes true. You are only going to get a response to your online application if it is in alignment with your experience. Right or wrong, the market is obsessed with experience. The only way to sidestep this reality is if someone in your network can vouch for you and “put” you in a new lane, or if you are ready to start your own company or buy one.

Don’t raise the age flag. Do you really need a five-page resume? And does your top bullet really need to say that you have 35 years of experience when “20+” would do the trick? No one is suggesting you lie or attempt to deceive recruiters, but you need to be aware of the myriad ways that you are inadvertently drawing attention to your age instead of your fit for the job. For example, how you address millennials is an easy trap for older applicants to fall into. Saying things in an interview like, “I noticed on LinkedIn that you attended the same University as my youngest daughter,” may seem like a good conversation starter. Still, you just became a parent in that interview instead of the brilliant, global key accounts director that you are. Other areas in which you need to be conscious about aging yourself include fumbling with your technology during virtual interviews, not knowing current lingo for your industry, and not learning how to play the online job search game (For more insight on the new job search changes read, How COVID-19 Has Changed Hiring And Job Search And How To Be Successful.

Set your pride aside. To compete in the market as an experienced individual, you will have to set aside the feeling that the whole job search process is beneath you. Stop saying, “I have never had to interview before.” You do now. The sooner you accept the challenge and get yourself into an eager mindset, the sooner you will land that new job. Setting your pride aside may also mean you have to update your wardrobe, hire a personal trainer, or change your hair. The idea here is not to look younger—it is to feel your best and to present your best, most confident self. Finally, setting your pride aside probably means you need to tighten up your resume, your interview skills, and your online search capabilities.

Forbes.com | September 22, 2020 | Robin Ryan