As older job seekers, it can be difficult to avoid negative thoughts.
Facing getting older, combined with the pressures and rejections of job hunting, can be a punishing path to walk.
So today I wanted to discuss some of the lies we tell ourselves, and why they aren’t true.
I’m too old for this job.
If you’re reading this, then I can confidently say: no, you’re not. We just have to do some reframing about experience and adaptability that we’ve gained over the years. Job hunting is marketing, as my friend Ronnie Noize would say.I look too old, and that will hurt me.
My friend Rosana Francescato wrote a beautiful piece titled “I Look My Age - And You Do, Too” that delves into this topic. The upshot is, you probably do look your age. And that’s great! We’ve earned it. We are still here. Every line, every grey hair means we’ve gone through it and come out the other side.I can’t keep up with younger people.
Remember the story about my grandmother going to computer school? She was in her 60s surrounded by women in their 20s. But she worked hard and knew how to be social with anyone, so she became the group leader, not an anchor dragging everyone else down. You can do the same.I don’t have the skills for this job.
With job listings stretching to the moon and back with every possible skill and credential listed, trust me, no one has all the skills the employer thinks they want. The trick is realizing what they *need* and fulfilling that. If you can figure out what they actually need, you’re more than halfway there.I’m not up on the technology.
Maybe you’re not! But the magic of the internet today is that there are tons of free and low-cost resources out there to teach literally anything you need to learn. Yes, it can take a bit longer for you to learn something new than it did in your 20s. But you’ve learned how to learn, and that’s priceless.I’m not good at networking.
This one stings for me, because I’m a hardcore introvert who would prefer staying home under a blanket rather than interact with anyone. But like with any muscle, exercising my networking skills has improved them. Check out my “Five calls a day” piece for more on this.I’m too expensive to hire.
The truth is you will often need to be flexible when it comes to salary as an older job seeker. But once your experience and skills have made them interested, you can negotiate salary and benefits from a place of strength. Let me know if you’d like me to write about salary negotiation.There are too many candidates for this job.
The only lie here is the phrase “too many.” While I strongly object to spamming dozens of job listings with applications just because they are there, if you click with a job, go all out in the application process and don’t worry about how many other people are in line with you. They don’t matter. They’re not you.
What are the negative thoughts that go through your mind when working on your job search?
I don’t want to get all Stuart Smalley on you here. This isn’t a self-help, woo-woo, vision board type of newsletter. Let me know if you’d like me to get back to the nuts and bolts of resumes, cover letters, and interviewing.
Hearing from you
I’m working on a piece about side jobs we take while looking for that perfect job. Do you have some interesting stories to share about this? Please let me know by leaving a comment or replying to this email. I want to share your stories.
Between freelance writing assignments, I've been contributing a weekly segment to my local community radio station. Although it's unpaid volunteer work and not a "job," it keeps the creative juices flowing — and the deadlines help me maintain focus in the too easily unfocused freelance workosystem.
Thanks so much for the link to my post and for your kind words, Adam!
When I was searching for a job, every single one of these thoughts went through my head. I did feel like I was capable of doing the jobs I applied for. But I always felt I lacked a certain something that would make me excellent at those jobs and also an appealing candidate. Not a fun process!
You could probably do a whole piece about each of these thoughts, and I know you have written about a number of them.
One thing I've realized as I've gotten older is that because I'm so experienced, I can do good work pretty quickly and with fewer errors than many younger people. It might be interesting to write about that sometime: the real value of our experience for employers, which is about much more than speed of course.