Getting hired after age 50 is easy with these tips

Being an older worker in today’s workforce is not an easy thing. Did you know that a study by Hiscox regarding ageism in the workplace in 2019 found that 36% percent of workers feel that their age prevented them from getting a job after hitting 40? Even more concerning, 26% of the workers who survived are afraid of losing their current jobs because of their age.

Age discrimination, although illegal, is prevalent almost everywhere in the job market. Though legal protection is available for you against age discrimination, the extent varies depending on your industry, company size, and location. Age discrimination can happen anywhere, sometimes during the hiring process and sometimes on a day of your life performing your role.

How can you fight back against age discrimination?

Step one of you getting your desired job after hitting 50 is to fight back against your biggest obstacle - age discrimination. Here are some things that you must do to put up a worthy fight:

• Avoid seeming outdated by adapting yourself to the latest tech in the workplace
• Highlighting how your extensive knowledge and experience benefit the employer
• Educating yourself about your right when it comes to getting hired
• Understanding the legal situation behind a termination
• Learning the latest trends in job applications, job searching, and resumes

Let’s look at how you can score an excellent job even after hitting 50…

Just like any other job seeker out there, you just need to adopt the right job-searching strategies to get noticed by the right employer. Here’s what you can do.

Update your technological skills

Technology is constantly evolving and the workforce is picking up on every little piece of tech that makes their job easier. You can’t do your job the same way you did it 25 years ago. Besides, listing the right tech skills on your resume is necessary to get hired today. Learn the new tech skills that will get employers calling you back. These will include stuff like coding skills, digital marketing, software development, automation, data analysis, etc.

Optimize your resume

You can not win the competition for a decent job with an old resume. Your resume needs to be sharp and polished for you to shine among other candidates. If you are unaware of the best resume writing practices of today, you can hire a professional resume writing service like Resume Mansion to write a winning resume for you. At Resume Mansion, you can even get a free critique of your current resume to see where you have gone wrong.

Keep learning new skills

Everyone needs to update their skill set once in a while to stay on top of things. Make a habit of learning a new skill every quarter, or even every month if you are ambitious. At the end of the day, you will have some amazing skills to display on your resume.

Practice for the job interviews

You might be a seasoned pro when it comes to job interviews. Unlike rookie candidates, you won’t have the nerves and anxiety of facing an interview. However, you must remember that you have never faced an interview as an older candidate before. When you practice answers for common interview questions, make sure that you search for the best ways to answer questions about your age. Also, prepare to give a short narrative of the benefits your age brings to the employer.

Don’t have a LinkedIn profile yet? Create one

You are not getting hired because you don’t turn up on the online searches employers conduct. LinkedIn has become the primary tool recruiters use to spot good talent. Create a LinkedIn profile for yourself and keep it updated. You can even do a bit of networking there to help your job search along.