How To Beat Age Bias In Your Job Search

by Robert Hellmann at forbes.com

For the first time in nearly 50 years, the unemployment rate for 55-and-older workers exceeded the rate for mid-career workers during the pandemic. The relative jump in this rate underscores the age-related challenges that older workers face in getting hired. If you fall into this group, there’s good news: you can usually overcome age-related barriers to being hired relatively easily.

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Career experts agree: There is often nothing more crushing to your career confidence than losing a job. “I’ve yet to meet a person who loses their job and instantly feels excellent,” says millennial career coach Jill Jacinto. The initial shock of the loss can turn into serious self-doubt, she says, as you scramble to understand why you were let go and what you will do in the future.   MORE

More than ever, jobseekers are looking for any edge to increase their odds of landing a job. In my conversations with jobseekers, a common question is how to use social media. In particular, there is uncertainty about whether candidates should connect with interviewers via social media.

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The holiday season – a time when professional life often slows down while the personal side of life speeds up. In between there is the job seeker. For the job seeker, there are no holidays.

    This is not to say a job seeker should be a social hermit during this time. Granted there are those awkward moments when you’re asked, “What are you doing?” or, “How’s the job search going?” That’s another topic for another day.

    So, how best to use your time. With so many retailers adding bodies for the holidays – which is especially true this year, you have an excellent chance of landing one of those spots. Not only will you be able to soften your financial burden, but candidates with jobs are always more appealing to prospective employers.

    Also, many holiday retailers welcome individuals who are willing to work late – say a noon to nine shift. Why is this good for you? This schedule still allows you to keep your mornings available for your job search. You can even schedule job interviews in the mornings.

    If, for whatever reason, you’re not on anyone’s holiday payroll, there is still much to do. It’s a great time to do research on your target companies and/or target contacts – or, to uncover more target companies and contacts.

    It’s also a great time to circle back to previous contacts just to touch base to let them know that you’re still looking or to learn of any new developments.

    You might also want to take some time to scour the many free resume websites. You never know whether or not you’ll find some new and fresh ideas for sprucing up your resume.

    While it’s important to keep all your job search irons in the fire, it’s still the holidays. When it’s appropriate, put your job search out of your mind, relax and enjoy the time with family and friends.