“The most influential person who talks to you all day is you; so you should be very careful about what you say to you.” ~ Zig Ziglar
The Zig Ziglar quote above is one of my favorites. Age, and what we think it means, is one of those conversations we have with ourselves. And, that internal conversation can change the way the world sees us.
What conversations will you have about age today?
Will your age conversation center on your schedule, your emotions, or your current stage of life?
Here are a few of the conversations shared with me recently:
- From a new college grad: “At my age and with a degree I won’t be working weekends in the future.”
- From women 50+: “My age, experience and education should allow me the opportunity to not stand all day.” and “I have always looked old for my age, in fact my youngest grandchild asked me if I was a 100 yet. Isn’t that cute?”
Yes, there is an “age issue” in almost ever job search — yours. My experience is that when age is an issue for the candidate, the potential employer picks up on the matter.
Here are 3 things to consider as you embark on your job search:
- Age is a perspective. If you think it matters, it does. At least it matters to you.
What is your perspective? Is your age an asset or a liability? The primary reason others will focus on your age, as either asset or liability, is that you do.
- Age as a requirement for the job. Yes, there are jobs that have age requirements. However, only a small percentage of jobs have such a requirement. When a job does have an age requirement, it is usually very clear.
When I hear someone say, “I did not get the job because of my age,” my first question is: what was the age requirement? My second question is: how do you know?
The answers are very telling. Often a candidate will share they interjected age into the conversation during the interview.
How do you bring up age? Why do you view your age as relevant to discuss?
- Age is a process of life. All things age. The aging process does not ensure experience, knowledge, or skills. Nor do your strengths or wisdom show up at a specific age.
Age does not guarantee the achievement of results, personal fulfillment, a look or energy level. At any age you may seek opportunities to gain experience and learn to leverage all that is unique to you.
Telling others you have XX years of experience rarely helps someone leap for joy and assume you can do the job. It simply states you held a job for XX years — nothing less, nothing more.
If you want someone to value your skills, make sure they know you unique value. Craft your stories to share the information others need. Include: your results, what you have done, what you learned, what goals you want to achieve and how you can help them achieve their goals.
Stop hiding your value. Be found and be visible. Focus your conversations on what matters — to you and the potential employer.
You are the most influential person in the room when it comes validating your value. How do you convey your value?
What conversations are you having with yourself and others?
