Avoid Appearing Old In Interviews By Emphasising The New

Having experience of an industry veteran is great but appearing old and out of touch during a job interview is not. Follow these guidelines to avoid looking like a dinosaur.

Photo by Chefranden.

Over at the career and money blog MoneyWatch, they’ve put together a list of interview tips for older interviewees. The open with a solid tip on how to avoid falling into a common trap for older workers:

Don’t play the wisdom card.You may feel that your strongest selling point is that you’ve been there, done that, and that you can help relatively inexperienced colleagues and a young company navigate territory you’ve already mapped. And hey, that may prove to be true, once you’ve got the job.

But thumping too hard in the interview on your years of experience might make it seem as if your best days are behind you. Better to turn the spotlight onto new things you’ve learned, fresh ideas you want to launch, untested adventures you’re eager to embrace

Indeed, an older worker who has seen it all but is current with his or her knowledge and skills is an asset — one who mutters about how COBOL was king and it’s all been done, not so much. Check out the full list with an additional 10 tips at the link below. Have a trick to share either as the interviewer or the job seeker? Let’s hear it in the comments.

Job Interview Tips: How Not to Act Old [MoneyWatch via Wise Bread]


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