Dilemma
Age discrimination is persistent in the labor market. Older people are said to be too expensive, is a known fear of potential employers, or inflexible. This makes it a lot more difficult for older job seekers to find a job than for young people. So: is it therefore better, as an older person, to leave out your age when you submit a CV?
Good plan
As an older person, it is indeed a good plan not to mention a date of birth on your CV, says application coach Aaltje Vincent. “If you do mention this, you run the risk that recruiters will see your age and not invite you. If you don’t include your date of birth, two things can happen. They may think: ‘There is no date of birth on it, so this applicant must be a bit older’, and click away from your CV. But they can also read it to calculate how old you are. In that case, they have at least looked at your resume.”
Annet de Lange, professor at the Open University, also advises people over fifty not to mention their age on their CV. De Lange conducts research into the conditions under which older people can continue to function well in the labor market. People tend to choose a clone of themselves during a job application process. And that leads to many errors in judgment, she says, which are to the detriment of the elderly. “The effect is even stronger when assessing letters. Because you have less information – after all, you haven’t seen someone yet – all kinds of stereotypical ideas quickly arise.”
And they are not tender. The outside world consistently sees older employees as less employable, it appears a meta-analysis from 2020 that De Lange performed. “That effect is already visible in age groups from fifty years old.” Prejudices include that older people are sick more often, less productive, less motivated to learn and less able to keep up with digital innovations. By the way, these prejudices have been more or less refuted in research.
De Lange believes that it is even better to omit your name in addition to your age when applying for a job. “This also prevents discrimination based on ethnic origin.” But can you just decide that yourself, even if it is not an official application policy? “You can always call to ask if it is possible to apply anonymously. If an employer doesn’t approve of that, you might wonder what kind of employer that is. Is it recruiting inclusively? If not, you might not want to work there at all.”
Let go of your age too
Although, according to job application coach Aaltje Vincent, older people are at risk of being discriminated against based on their age, she advises not to get stuck in a negative attitude. According to Vincent, you can achieve more by not responding to vacancies at all. “Please stay away from that letter-sending company. That works well for almost no one, not even younger people. You have a much better chance of being invited if you use your network.”
You conduct network conversations by “talking to colleagues as a professional about developments within your profession, and by asking good questions that demonstrate your craftsmanship.” Don’t think that you are bothering people with this, Vincent says. “Such a conversation is a gift for the other person, because you give sincere attention. Everyone likes to talk about their work. Moreover, employers also prefer to find candidates through their own employees. If a vacancy arises and they know you, there is a chance that they will think of you.”
De Lange: “Unknown means unloved, I always say.”
There is actually a step before networking, says Vincent. “You have to ensure that you are a solution for employers. I know mechanics in their sixties who are approached every day asking if they would please apply. So you have to want work that is in demand. Sometimes this means that you have to retrain or retrain. In addition, it is not an unnecessary luxury to practice interviews if you have not applied for a job for a long time.”
Suppose you are invited for an interview, how do you deal with questions about your age?
Vincent: “I recently had a 57-year-old in training. We have paid a lot of attention to the answer to the question ‘how old are you?’. I taught her to answer, “You can calculate that based on the experience on my resume, I’m 57.” And then she had to put a clear period after that sentence. I practiced that with her, to really drop it, instead of ending the sentence questioningly. You should not shift in your seat or explain in detail why you have not stated that age. Don’t make excuses, just say your age and move on.”
So
As an older person, feel free not to talk about your age. Don’t make a big deal about it if someone else does. Do not respond to vacancies, investigate which sectors or professions you have the greatest added value in, and demonstrate your expertise in networking conversations.