by Beverly Aarons
25. June 2009 09:35
Many attorneys considering alternative careers who have years of experience, are often considered "older" workers. According to a recent government report nearly 2 million job seekers are over 50 years old and often have a tougher time finding work than their younger counterparts. If you're an older attorney looking for work in an alternative career here are some tips that may help you overcome age prejudice:
1. Don't try to hide your age. There have been a few suggestions out there that older job candidates should look young and "hip" at any cost, including covering their gray and even getting Botox injections. This may be a mistake and a distraction from doing the things that will actually effectively combat age prejudice. Instead of trying to look young, try to appear professional, approachable and up-to-date with the latest happenings in that field when interviewing with potential employers. Which takes us to our next tip…
2. Get up-to-date on current technology and industry happenings. Oftentimes employers fear that older job candidates lack the current technological skills and knowledge required for the job. One way to demonstrate that you're tech savvy is to register with some of the social networking sites such has LinkedIn and/or to create a professional web page that serves as your digital resume. To prove that you're in the know about all the most recent developments in industry of your choice you may want to start a blog talking about industry news and events. Of course, let your potential employer know about the blog.
3. Don't try to hide your experience, emphasize it. Many older job candidates make the mistake of attempting to hide their many years of experience by rearranging their resume or leaving out important work experience. Instead of hiding lengthy work experience older candidates should emphasize relevant work experience while highlighting the fact that they are current on recent developments in the industry.