Q: I now regret retiring at 66. I am too active and motivated for this lazy lifestyle and I need the additional income. I am single, never married, and have no children or family, so days can be boring. I have had several successful careers with two of the major car manufacturers. I am in sales and spent the majority of my time traveling. I am in excellent health, outperform many of my younger colleges at the gym, and don't look anywhere near my age. I also have no employment gaps on my resume.
My resume highlights my accomplishments and many references to vouch for my work record, yet I can't get a second interview or face-to-face meeting. I have tried to erase anything on the Internet that may give away my age and I have removed dates of schools attended and military record. Many positions I have applied to continue to recruit, even though my resume is very similar to the job. I can't be the only person facing this realm of silent age discrimination.
Companies complain about the unmotivated workforce today. How can they be convinced the answer to growth in sales and profits might be to hire mature experience instead of younger generations. I have told several employers I don't want a high salary but instead the opportunity to make a lot in commissions and bonus.
A: Your problem sounds much more involved than age discrimination, though age is likely part of it. First, search yourself on the internet using various key words and name variations way to see what you find. You have been getting first interviews, so your resume is successfully attracting employers, which means they are impressed by your experience. And extensive experience shows you are a mature individual. Employers that do not look into your background are still likely to expect you to be in your fifties. So perhaps you are doing or saying something that shows your age, and more on point shows an attitude more typically held by Baby Boomers.
In an initial interview, you should not discuss money. That hiring director has invited you in to meet you, to see what you have to offer the company, and to see if you still have the energy and ability to produce. A high level of experience demands a higher salary, so not only are you focusing on the wrong issue, you may sound like you are begging for a job that you don't deserve.
It also sounds like you are going into the interview concerned about your age. That's not a positive sales approach. You can either make a solid contribution to the company or you can't. If you think negatively, that concerned attitude will show through regardless of what you say. If you bring up issues the interviewer has not even mentioned, you have immediately taken yourself out of running.
Good sales people must have confidence and excellent communication and interpersonal skills. To see if you are out of synch with the times, meet with a recruiter that specializes in sales executives. It's a new work world, and practice interviews would get you in step with what will be expected. Even if these employers did not conduct a search on you before the interview, mature adults have extensive experience. Once you practice interviewing with an executive recruiter, you might find that's its easier to look for a job working as an independent contractor. That means the company does not have to take on insuring you, which raises a company's insurance costs.
Senior-aged employees are a concern for many employers because companies must offer the same benefits to the employees in the same category. Statistically, seniors have more health issues and greater healthcare expenses. As an independent contractor, you are responsible for your own insurance, and paying your own taxes, which the company typically takes out of the paychecks for every full-time employee.
Email career and life coach [email protected] with your workplace questions and experiences. For more information, visit www.lindseyparkernovak.com and for past columns, see www.creators.com/read/At-Work-Lindsey-Novak.
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