The Laughable Ageism Myths Employers Believe

from stableandwise.com

Discrimination against older workers is illegal. And bloody immoral.

    Ageism is embedded and persistent in our culture because it’s built on 4 Myths. Myths that would be funny if they didn’t cause so much suffering. Unfortunately even many over 45s have come to accept them as gospel, damaging their self belief and confidence.

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We were all raised to be nice, polite and considerate of others. As young children, our parents told us to watch what we say in public, not to purposely offend people and to always respect our elders.

    This was and still is good, sound advice. There are times, though, when you have to respectfully diverge from your parent’s lessons. The real world, as an adult, is far different compared to being a kid. The jungle rules of the corporate world sometimes don't lend itself to a pacifist approach.

The “Okay Boomer” phrase dates to at least 2015, but last fall the memes caught the attention of the internet and social media.  It was a train that rolled out of the station.  Ageism aside, justifications, rationalizations, and discussions abounded, but during the dialogue there were important points on both sides that were dismissed or tuned out.  As a typical boomer would say, “I’ve experienced it!”…

    I see generational tensions in my consulting practice and found it interesting when ageism was brought to social media.
 

7 Steps to Take When Using Linkedin to Network for a Job

from thingscareerrelated.com

You’ve heard it before: LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional, online networking application with approximately 700 million worldwide members. And according to many sources, at least 87 percent of recruiters are sourcing for talent on LinkedIn.

    Here’s another fact that I can personally attest to: most recruiters with whom I’ve spoken tell me that LinkedIn is their site of choice when it comes to looking for talent. Not Indeed.com, Monstor.com, SimplyHired.com, or any of the other job boards.

    Shouldn’t these facts be enough to use LinkedIn for you job search? Now, here’s the question: how can you most effectively use LinkedIn to network for a job?
 

There is so much that goes into a job search. Tight resume. Strong cover letter. Wide networking. LinkedIn contacts. Relentless preparedness. Driving persistence. Constant referrals. Incessant follow through.

    If this doesn’t sound familiar, either you’re not paying attention or you haven’t been job seeking too long.

    Taken on their own, they may seem daunting, but they’re not difficult. The waters get muddy when they start interacting and overlapping.

    There is a lot to be said about the notion that, in the end, people hire people. That may be true, but taken a step further, people hire people they trust. If they trust you, they will not hesitate to hire you. In reality, you’re not hired because of your skills, education or experience, you’re hired because of trust.

    You can establish trust on your own. But, as they say, the best advertising is a word of mouth. In the job seekers world that translates into a referral. If you can secure a sound referral, you’re halfway home.

    This is where the overlapping and interconnectivity come into play. You meet or know someone through your network. There is someone at XYZ Company who trusts them and they give your name to someone. You land an interview and because they trust your referral contact, their confirmation bias takes over and they trust you as well. And because of that trust, you get the nod.

    So, let’s see, people hire people. People hire people they trust. People hire people who have been referred by someone else whom they trust.

    This is not to say that resumes, cover letters, and the like are not important. They are. But in the end maybe the two most important elements in your job search just might be people and trust.