Laws have been passed to make employment discrimination based on numerous factors – such as race, religion and age – illegal. Those laws have been around for awhile now, and no company can claim ignorance as an excuse. But discrimination happens – sometimes because of poor training, but too often because companies have gotten sophisticated about how they do it.   

One of the most common concerns relates to the possibility of age discrimination. Applicants may have gray hair or some other physical attribute that makes it clear they’re not thirty-something, or maybe even forty-something. Less obviously, something in their background could give away age information before they ever get a chance for an in-person meeting.

A Foot in the Door

The recurring question is: How do I handle this? In other words, how can I keep from getting discarded before I even get a foot in the door?   

It starts with your resume. Examine all elements carefully to see if you’ve included anything that “dates” you. For example, you might find old technology, outdated business concepts, or employment that goes too far back in years. Remove or rephrase any such items you find. At the same time, make sure current “hot buttons” are included if they’re a valid aspect of your experience, to show you’re up on the latest developments. This might mean enhancing your qualifications by taking a few workshops or classes at the local community college or from an online resource. If your expertise in the targeted field isn’t quite current, trust me, it’s an important step you shouldn’t overlook.   

You can delay the question of age by taking the above steps with regard to your resume, but at some point – usually when you arrive for an interview – you may still have to deal with age discrimination, and it can be very tough to prove. How you prepare for the interview and how you handle yourself during it can make a huge difference; but if a company is determined to discriminate and can do it without being obvious, ask yourself a key question: “Do I really want to work in a place like this?” You might want to run, not walk, to the nearest exit!

Internal Policies and Politics

So far I’ve been discussing discrimination, particularly age discrimination, which you might face in a job search if you’re on the shady side of 50 (and maybe sooner). Now I’d like to address a slightly a different aspect of the problem: What do you do when you’re already employed but are shunted aside for younger, often less-skilled employees? What about when you’re a mature worker and find yourself reporting to a younger manager?    

You can look for ways to leave the company – find another job, retire, maybe start your own business. If a new job seems like your best answer, do what you can to evaluate the climate at the potential employer and determine whether the company acknowledges and rewards the value of older workers. It’s not only a question of whether a company will hire older workers, but whether they will provide them with a supportive work environment. For instance, do they promote from within, which can give more experienced employees an edge, or do they tend to bring in young people with less experience to manage those employees? You don’t want to jump from the frying pan into the fire. Changing jobs can be traumatic enough without ending up worse off or at least as bad as you were before.    

If you’re currently employed by a company that is bringing in younger people and you end up with a young manager, can you stay there? Sometimes younger people are as uncomfortable (or insecure) managing older employees as the older employees are with taking orders from someone much younger. You may eventually be able to alter this relationship and achieve a positive work environment. If not, it could mean leaving.    

When your company systematically sheds older workers without getting caught at it – and you feel you might be next – you may not have a future there any more. The environment is likely to become so inhospitable that you are forced to go elsewhere, if you aren’t actually let go. Try not to let things deteriorate to that point! Instead, make a positive move to improve your situation before then, while you can still control the timing and manner of your departure.