Nearly one million workers age 55 and older have won new jobs over the last 12 months, making it one of the only age groups that is actually experiencing employment gains.

With increased demand from traditional corporate employers, older workers indeed have a lot more options, including entrepreneurship and encore careers. Of course, this does not make the job search any easier when they decide they are ready to move to the next phase of their career or return to the workplace after an attempt at traditional retirement.

The biggest obstacles most older jobseekers face are self-imposed. Self-doubt and defensiveness about their age are two of the handicaps that well-seasoned workers mistakenly bring with them into interviews. Successful jobseekers radiate confidence and are prepared to speak positively about their age if necessary. Here are some other proactive approaches that older workers should incorporate into their campaign for new employment:

Dismantle the myths. Older jobseekers should realize that they will probably be interviewing with someone who is 10, 20 or even 30 years their junior. Those interviewers may have preconceptions or prejudices about older individuals that could taint their view of candidates before the interview ever starts, such as: Older people are sick more often and take more leave; they are set in their ways and therefore cannot be trained; they are only waiting for the day they can permanently retire; younger and older workers will clash.

Employers are not permitted to ask questions that pertain to age, but such questions may still exist in the mind of the interviewer.

Be accommodating. Throughout the interview process, do your best to accommodate the schedule of the interviewer. This may mean meeting early in the morning, in the evening or even on the weekend. Jobseekers who say they cannot come in for an interview after hours will screen themselves out of the process immediately, regardless of age. It sends the message that they will not be willing to put in extra hours to get the work done.

Emphasize past examples of loyalty. Although worker loyalty has been severely tested over the years due to ongoing layoffs, employers still need to feel that employees are 100-percent committed.

Emphasize relevant experience. The prospective employer should believe you can hit the ground running. It is important to convince the interviewer that age has nothing to do with learning new concepts and accepting new ways of doing things.

Demonstrate your flexibility and creativity. You want to counteract stereotypes that suggest older workers do not have imagination. Discuss ways you solved problems and developed ideas in your most recent jobs to make your former employer more money or be more competitive.

Look and act young. Everyone knows people who are 50 who look and act as if they are 65, and people who are 65 who look and act as if they are 50. Dress in currently fashionable clothes and show enthusiasm for the opportunity. Exhibit a sense of excitement and energy, traits that younger individuals do not always show.

Stay current and embrace technology. Do not appear as if the world has passed you by. If you do not have at least a rudimentary understanding of computers and how they work, take a class at night. Computers are now used in practically every application of work, and employers expect all applicants to know the basics.

What NOT to Do

Do not apologize or act defensive. Never think something like, "Nobody really wants to hire anyone my age." You cannot have a defeatist attitude or it will show during the interview.

Do not lead with your resume. It might show that you graduated from college before your interviewer was even born. Try to get the interview based on your experience and what you can offer the company. The goal is that by the time the interviewer asks to see your resume, you will have already made age a non-issue.

Do not say you took early retirement. You do not want to give the impression that you are thinking of retiring in a few years. It reminds the interviewer you are older and suggests that the idea of retirement is more important to you than the job for which you are interviewing.

Do not mention accomplishments from more than ten years ago – unless they are extraordinary or the only example of experience you possess that meets the employer’s needs. If you do mention a past accomplishment, talk about it as if it happened today.

Do not talk down to, patronize, or become convinced that you could not work for a younger manager. If you have a problem working for someone younger than yourself, resolve this conflict immediately because it is a reality you have to accept. Leave your ego at the door.