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The way you search for jobs reflects your age

I lost my job nine months ago when my company was acquired by a new owner.

Although recruiters say that I show a lot of energy and enthusiasm, and that I am more than qualified for the work, I rarely get called back for a second interview.

I am encountering age discrimination even though all companies deny practicing such discrimination.

How do I get around this problem?

Dear Reader: There is little question that age discrimination exists in our workplace, although smart employers should be trying to figure out how to attract and hire older workers rather than avoid them. If progressive employers are interested in attributes like work ethic, maturity, dependability and problem-solving skills, they should be looking to find ways to include older workers, but that’s another story altogether!

Sometimes, we advertise our age without realizing it, and if we are primarily contacting employers through recruiters and HR individuals who are relatively new in the workplace, we are projecting and magnifying a possible problem. It wouldn’t hurt to do a self-check of your resume and cover letters. Consider the following red flags:
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• Work history prior to 10-15 years ago.

• Dates that you completed or attended schools, seminars, etc.

Keep your resume/cover letter information recent and relevant, and avoid giving more information than is needed, like being captain of your swim team in 1958! It’s not relevant, although important to you.

Also important is how you find and make contact with employers.

The strongest referral is a third-party referral. So get out there and network so that others will mention your name, and when you actually meet the employer, they will be expecting to like you, not trying to figure out how old you are. Get visible, and get busy identifying employers who need to know you are available. You make contact with them, don’t just line up and compete with every other unemployed searcher reading want ads and surfing the net. Get visible and get proactive for you own sake. You fight age bias by demonstrating your energy and worth.