[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/chameleonresumes.com\/ageism-isnt-your-real-problem#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/chameleonresumes.com\/ageism-isnt-your-real-problem","headline":"Why Ageism Isn\u2019t Your Real Problem","name":"Why Ageism Isn\u2019t Your Real Problem","description":"Ageism as a challenge gets thrown around a lot in the executive recruiting world. There is this false assumption that because you\u2019re a certain age that you won\u2019t get the job. The reality is there are plenty of companies who will hire you for your expertise regardless of your age if you can properly convey…","datePublished":"2015-03-06","dateModified":"2018-07-19","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/chameleonresumes.com\/author\/admin#Person","name":"Lisa Rangel","url":"https:\/\/chameleonresumes.com\/author\/admin","identifier":1,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d232d4d94c36a87067529574d8bf976cdcbe10988a09d79e9fbc2b75ce6cb95a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d232d4d94c36a87067529574d8bf976cdcbe10988a09d79e9fbc2b75ce6cb95a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Chameleon Resumes, LLC","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/chameleonresumes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Chameleon_FullColor-1.png","url":"https:\/\/chameleonresumes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Chameleon_FullColor-1.png","width":1000,"height":442}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/chameleonresumes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/ageism-isnt-your-real-problem-300x200.jpg","url":"https:\/\/chameleonresumes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/ageism-isnt-your-real-problem-300x200.jpg","height":"224","width":"336"},"url":"https:\/\/chameleonresumes.com\/ageism-isnt-your-real-problem","about":["Blog","Job Search Planning"],"wordCount":1004,"keywords":["ageism","Chameleon Resumes blog","intercompany communications","linkedin","lisa rangel","MindTools","mobile recruiting"],"articleBody":"Ageism as a challenge gets thrown around a lot in the executive recruiting world. There is this false assumption that because you\u2019re a certain age that you won\u2019t get the job. The reality is there are plenty of companies who will hire you for your expertise regardless of your age if you can properly convey your value.Yet many executives looking for work still cite ageism as their main challenge in landing the job. Pardon the bluntness, but perhaps \u201cageism\u201d isn\u2019t the real problem here. In fact, it\u2019s very likely that perhaps you\u2019re making some mistakes that portray you as dated, inflexible and victimized – characteristics that are unattractive at any age.Use our tips to make sure you aren\u2019t coming off this way in your job hunt.Your resume is outdated.Resume trends change all the time. What worked 15-20 years ago will not work today. Furthermore, if you\u2019re still working with the resume your college\u2019s career center taught you to write, and have just been adding your jobs as they happen, then you\u2019re in for a very rude awakening. You wouldn\u2019t wear a suit from 1995, so why would you use a resume format from the same era? The days of sending in paper resumes are gone. Objectives have also been thrown out with yesterday\u2019s trash. Additionally, everything has gone digital so if you don\u2019t have a LinkedIn profile or a way to participate in mobile recruiting then you\u2019re going to struggle finding job.The people you are contacting prefer corresponding via email\u2014and you\u2019re calling.In the age of smart phones it\u2019s a miracle if anyone uses a phone to actually talk on it anymore. The truth is several people loathe using the phone and prefer using email. It\u2019s quick, easy, doesn\u2019t really interrupt their day and doesn\u2019t take nearly as much time. You may think it\u2019s impersonal, but the reality is you can easily have the same conversation via email as you would on the phone. If you insist on calling (or worse, faxing) when your contacts clearly prefer email then you\u2019re annoying them. It also shows you haven\u2019t gotten with the times. That\u2019s far worse than running the risk of being impersonal, which no one thinks of email anyway.You don\u2019t understand effective email communication.The point of email and instant messaging is that it\u2019s quick and to the point. If this is how a prospective employer operates for intercompany communications then you need to make sure you\u2019re with the program. That means you must avoid sending confusing subject lines and emails that are the length of the Old Testament. MindTools has a great guide on how to properly write effective emails for business. Learning how to write catchy email taglines and first email lines is key to increasing the chances of your email getting read.You make it hard for people to reach you.Make sure your resume has a mobile number, email address and LinkedIn profile URL listing in the top section easily seen. Put some variation of your contact information in the summary section of your LinkedIn Profile, twitter bio and\/or about.me pages. Google your name and see what options come up and see if it is easy to contact you when clicking on those links. Also, evaluate your email provider. Sometimes Verizon.net and aol.com email addresses can over filter emails and bounce emails being sent to you\u2014even if you initially emailed the person. So ask friends to email you and see if messages bounce—and consider moving email to a more universal provider, such as Gmail.com.You\u2019re focused too much on the past during job interviews.While it\u2019s good to touch upon past accomplishments during job interviews you must remember to balance it out with some forward thinking conversation. For instance, don\u2019t forget to mention how your skills can help the company with their current issues. You also need to talk about how you can contribute to company goals both now and in the future.You\u2019re too expensive.This isn\u2019t to say that companies are trying to get experience for cheap. It just means they have a budget to work with and not every position needs the expense associated with bringing on an experienced person. Think of it this way, you wouldn\u2019t buy a BMW, if a Toyota suffices for what you need. Sometimes the executive role a company needs to fill doesn\u2019t require so much accumulated experience and therefore isn\u2019t worth the cost. This isn\u2019t ageism, it\u2019s just finances. With all of this outlined, know that I do believe ageism exists in hiring and can be a valid issue in preventing an appropriately qualified, within-the-budget executive getting hired. However, often, I see ageism is not the reason and one of the above reasons is the root of the issue. When someone cites the ageism cause without looking at what they can change or other valid business concerns, all they are doing is destroying their own mindset to get positive results from the search.But, you can fix this\u2026In my\u00a0\u201cBeat Ageism & Get Hired\u201d eManual, I address how to:**Reform your job search mindset to see the opportunity in every situation and how to position yourself as the solution to capitalize on that opportunity to get hired.**Prepare to rock the \u201coverqualified\u201d question and have the hiring manager salivating to hire you for what you can bring to their group.**Nail the panel interview impressing each of the decision makers by addressing the needs of each person (financial, end user and corporate culture advocate) to get hired faster.Get the “Beat Ageism & Get Hired” eManual for $197 here: https:\/\/chameleonresumes.com\/ageFace it and address it head-on with a plan\u2026 Let\u2019s do this! Be well!Lisa Be Well!Lisa "},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Why Ageism Isn\u2019t Your Real Problem","item":"https:\/\/chameleonresumes.com\/ageism-isnt-your-real-problem#breadcrumbitem"}]}]