How to overcome ageism in the interview

In this episode, Leah explains how more mature employees can navigate any potential ageism when attending interviews.

Leah explains the types of interview questions that may have 'ageist' connotations and provides some practical and specific examples of responses that may help to alleviate any concerns the employer may have about your age.

This episode is for those employees who are 50+ and who are concerned about how they can compete against younger candidates in a competitive job market.

If you are requiring support with finding your 'best fit' career, preparing for your next interview or need help with writing a keyword optimised Resume or LinkedIn Profile, then contact Leah Lambart and the team at Relaunch Me for further information or to book a coaching session.

If there is a career that you would like to learn more about, the please email me at leah@relaunchme.com.au to make a suggestion.

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Thanks for listening.

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Transcript

Welcome to the Relaunch youh Career Podcast. I am your host, Leah Lambart, career and interview coach and founder of Relaunch Me, where we help you find the work that you were meant to do.

Leah Lambart: Hello everyone and welcome back to the Relaunch your Career Podcast. I am your host, Leah Lambart and today we are diving into a topic that affects many of our clients who are navigating career changes later in life, and that is dealing with ageism in job interviews.

For those of you who are over 50 or even 60, ageism can really feel like a major hurdle in the hiring process.

But don't worry, today we are going to discuss how to address this head-on so that you can feel more confident in your future interviews. Ageism can come through in subtle ways.

Sometimes it might be in the form of just an innocent-sounding interview question, but with the right preparation and strategy, you can learn to navigate these questions.

In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through a few common interview questions that may have age-related concerns hidden behind them and I'm going to give you some tools and strategies to help you respond with confidence.

So let's start with a classic question that you're likely to encounter. So that might be, can you tell us about your comfort level with technology or something to that effect?

Now, the unspoken concern here might be are you up to speed with the latest technologies that they're using in that organisation? And this is a common worry and a valid concern for employers when interviewing older candidates.

The reason for this is if candidates are not tech savv, it may take them a lot longer to complete a task. It might require a lot more time to get them up and running when they first start the job.

As a result, they're going to be less effective and less productive. So the best way to tackle this is to show that you are not only comfortable with technology, but that you've actively taken steps to stay current.

So here might be a way that you might respond to this question. Thank you for asking. I am very tech savvy. I've spent a lot of time keeping up to date and upskilling in different technologies so that I know that I can hit the ground running.

I've taken several courses recently on industry specific software and I'm very comfortable using Slack, Trello, Zoom, Microsoft Office and the Adobe Suite. In fact, in my previous role I was heavily involved in implementing a new technology system that it required me to streamline our operations and this actually increased efficiency in our team by 20%.

So you can see There that you are demonstrating that not only are you up to date, but perhaps you might be more up to date some of our junior candidates or the younger candidates that they're interviewing for that role.

So what we're doing here, you're not just addressing the concern, but also showcasing your proactive approach and your ability to actually add value by using technology. A second question that you might be asked is how do you function as part of a team?

So the concern here might be, can you work well with younger colleagues or managers? Particularly if you are applying for a team based role where perhaps your manager might be actually younger than you are.

Often employers are worried about intergenerational dynamics in the workplace. To reassure them, I would emphasise your experience working in diverse teams and your ability to collaborate across different age groups.

So a great response might look like, thank you for asking. I've had the opportunity to work in teams with a wide ranges of ages and backgrounds. For example, I recently worked with a much younger colleague who taught me some new software tools and in return I was able to share my experience with this younger colleague about my experience managing large scale projects.

So not only did we work really well together, but this was a great exchange of knowledge and skills that really added to the dynamics of the team. So you can see by responding in this way, it not only addresses the unspoken concern, but again highlights your adaptability, your willingness to learn from others, and your ability to form relationships with people of different ages in the team.

A third question that might come up that has some potential ageism tones is where do you see yourself in five years? So, for example, some interviewers might be concerned that maybe you're looking towards retirement in the next couple of years.

But of course, this is your chance to emphasize your enthusiasm for ongoing learning, your desire to take on new challenges, and also that you are really committed to working for an extended period of time with that organization.

So a response might look like, in five years, I see myself continuing to grow in this company and this industry. I'm excited about taking on new challenges and working as part of this team to navigate future changes over the next five years.

I'm really excited about this role because of the opportunity to contribute to long term projects and that I can be involved in strategies that can drive the company forward over the next five to 10 years.

So with an answer like this, you're not only showing that you're thinking about the future, but that you're also committed to growing and contributing to that particular team and organization in meaningful ways.

Finally, let's address the topic that might come up around salary and this is often a question where the hiring manager has concerns that you are overqualified for the role. You might get bored, the salary may not pay enough and as a result you'd be considered a bit of a flight risk.

This means that you might not stay in the role for very long, so the question might be what are your salary requirements? Employees might assume that an experienced candidate would have higher salary expectations, so here's a way you could approach this question.

While salary is important, I'm also focused on finding the right fit of role in terms of opportunities for growth and most importantly, the right company culture.

I'm open to discussing the compensation package that includes benefits and professional development, but this isn't my top priority at the moment. What I'm more interested in is finding a role where I can contribute, be part of a collaborative team, and to work in an organization where I have opportunities to learn and make a real contribution.

So by responding in this way, not only are you focusing more on the long term fit, you're also signalling that you are open to negotiation and you want to be paid something that is valuing your experience, experience and your worth.

So there you have it. A quick episode with some simple yet powerful ways to address ageism in your next job interview.

Remember, as a more experienced candidate, your experience is valuable and with the right approach, you can demonstrate that you're not only capable, but also adaptable, tech savvy and ready to contribute.

Thank you for joining me today on the Relaunch youh Career podcast. I hope you found this episode useful. If so, please share it with your friends and if you would like to show your appreciation, please also write a quick review on your podcast provider.

I hope you found these strategies useful and until next time, have a great day.

Leah Lambart: I hope hope you enjoyed this episode of Relaunch youh Career. If you did, please subscribe, share with your friends, leave a review or connect with us on social media at relaunchmecareerconsulting.

If you have any questions about the episode or the work that we do, then contact us via the website relaunchme.com

thanks for listening. Have a great day.