3 Tips for the Older Executive Job Seeker

3 Tips for the Older Executive Job Seeker3 Tips for the Older Executive Job SeekerSearching for a job as an older executive is bedrngnis easy. The arguments over ageism in the workplace are stacked with statistics that either prove its existence or prove it is a myth. You have experience. You know you would be valuable to any company.So, forget what statistics show and what other people feel. Read these tips if you are an older executive seeking a job.Addressing the 800-pound ageism gorillaA recent AARP study showed that 64% of workers report experiencing age discrimination in the workplace. However, a study of hiring practices shows that the fears of taking on someone who is older than 50 years of age are unfounded.Older workers are not resistant to learning new skills. Older workers will not slow down and look to coast into retirement. Older workers do not shoot down new ideas just because it sounds unfamiliar to them.Why? Tomorrows older worker is part of the generation that start ed their careers pre-internet when interpersonal skills mattered (some say too much). This same generation seamlessly adapted to rapid changes in technology between 1996 to the present. Tomorrows older worker is Generation X and todays are called Baby Boomers.Putting all labels aside, a job candidate or worker rarely wins when he or she goes on the defensive. Making assumptions as to why one is not being hired becomes a fear that manifests into reality. Try these winning methods below, instead.1. Show your perspectives alongside your experienceUnfortunately, your experience on an executive resume alone will not stand on its own two feet. What you did to succeed years ago is not going to work today. So, try these things to show some perspective alongside your experienceList the proudest moments of your career in which all your sacrifice and effort paid off. Whether it be a personal victory for yourself or a team accomplishment, list what you overcame to achieve it.Show how your uniqu e perspective helped you achieve your proudest moments along, and why your experience played a part as well.An example of language used on a resume to express both experience and perspective would be Entrepreneurial thinkers approach to managing large global organizations, developing key talent, and establishing strong business relationships. Can excel in highly matrixed organizations, and lead both union and non-union labor forces.2. Become a job creator and seekerJob seekers always go up against the beliefs of what the ideal candidate should look and behave likeduring the hiring process. They rehearse what to say and do, hoping to fulfill expectations of what the employer believes is perfect for the role.So, switch things up. You, as the older executive, behave like a winner and initiate the dialogue with an employer. Demonstrate your unique value and push for the outcome without facing the competition experienced during the companys hiring process. Create a new path.Easier said t han done, so start with these tipsReach out to your network like a contractor does offering estimates on construction projects.Explain your game-plan for new business.Share materials explaining how you work and accomplish goals.It is easier to secure long-term work after over-delivering on a short-term project.3. Use your network muscleThe beauty of being an older worker is that you have a network that expands all the way back to your college alumni. Social media in the last decade has made it easier to reconnect and hold onto this network. Unlike younger job candidates, you come complete with a network that took years to buildHere is how to make the most of itTurn to people you know and actively solicit suggestions for connections.Start warming up to people you had only written in the past. Dont spam them. Send LinkedIn messages that turn into calls and make it a human connection. You can help your network in return.Start tapping into your LinkedIn connections that are 2nd Degree. These are people who know your people. Ask for introductions and try to make some of them 1st-degree connections.Above all and most importantStay open-minded and positive. The reality of any winning job candidate, young and old, is that they never think like a person who needs to be saved from a job search. Job candidates who are hired always put forward that they have something great to bring to the table.