How old an impression do you make when you’re interviewing? Of course, we all know that your boss can look up your age in your personnel file, or an interviewer can just count backwards from the year of graduation printed on your resume. However, here is the truth: “perception” is the new reality, like sixty is the new fifty. So you need to learn the fine art of being perceived as younger as well as looking younger.
Is this fair? Is it even legal? And most importantly, should you give in to such nonsense? I’ll put it this way—if you are over forty, you need to read on.
The recession we’ve all been feeling for months is now official. So now bosses can use that magic “R” word as a blank check to fire almost anyone for any reason. And pay attention, over-forties: the wounded economy is an especially perfect opportunity for higher-ups to fire those senior workers whose high wages and big egos have outlasted their welcome.
For those who are unemployed, you must do whatever it takes to convey to hiring managers that you are employable. What does this mean? No one wants to hire someone who’s stuck in the old-fashioned way of thinking that being qualified, working hard, and being loyal to a company is enough. Your Princeton degree and enviable references won’t get you far if you’re that naïve.
So back to the age thing. While many workers have learned that good looks and a polished appearance go a long way toward success in the workplace, too many of them fail to realize that cultivating the perception of youth and a hip attitude is an equally important part of the equation. It’s no secret that we live in an age-obsessed society. Like it or not, “Interviewing Younger” is the new catchphrase.
“Interviewing Younger” and being perceived as more youthful at the office is a vocabulary, a body language, and a look. And here’s a secret: these rules apply even more when your boss is your age or even older. It’s not like you are following these rules to impress a young person. Whatever the age of your boss or interviewer, you need to create a youthful perception about you. Otherwise, there’s someone else waiting in the wings with quicker computer skills and contemporary pop culture knowledge who will be all too happy to fill your shoes.
So how do you do it? I reveal some of the secrets in my new book, Bulletproof Your Job (HarperCollins). But for those know-it-alls who have yet to buy my book (and by the way, it’s the type of book you should keep in your desk at all times to remind yourself how to hold onto your job while everyone around you is losing theirs), here is my holiday gift to you.
Rule #1: Crest White Strips. Yup, this is a shallow, cosmetic-based tip. But I get so many letters from people who just don’t understand that having coffee-stained teeth doesn’t do you any favors in the interview department. Stop rolling your eyes, go buy the strips (use the store brand for all I care—I’m not picky), and whiten those teeth. Then smile. Smiling makes you look and feel younger—not bitter, old, and unemployed. I don’t care if you really are bitter, old, and unemployed. It’s about perception, remember?
Rule #2: If you are over forty, I want you on Facebook today. No friends? You already have one—just Facebook me. If you don’t know how to join, let your kids show you, or even better, have a young person at work “reverse mentor” you on how it works. Let that same person help you choose your profile picture. No drunken debauchery, please.
Rule #3: Know about and frequently use Google and Wikipedia. Bookmark them on your computer and set one as your homepage.
