The Overlooked Competition for Your Next Job

Photo by Fares Hamouche on Unsplash

It’s a particularly fraught time to be an older worker looking for a job.

For starters, the job market is tough as the economy limps along.

Companies that once were in high-growth mode now aren’t hiring in large numbers.

And it’s not just that companies aren’t hiring. More than ever, they’re playing fast and loose with job postings, advertising for positions they may or may not plan to fill.

Meanwhile, they’re treating candidates as if they, the employers, hold all the cards. They’re dragging out the hiring cycle, requiring more rounds of interviews, and taking their own sweet time following up with candidates. That’s if they bother to follow up at all.

And none of this even accounts for ageism, and the all-too-common tendency to lay off long-tenured employees and replace them with younger—less expensive—talent.

Feeling shut out and left behind

I regularly talk to friends and colleagues over age 50 who complain that they have applied for hundreds of positions and netted a paltry number of interviews.

Their stories are hard to hear. And it’s not surprising that many of these talented and motivated people are quick to assign blame for their inability to land their next opportunity.

Many attribute their lack of success to their age. Or the economy. Or AI. Or employers and their preference for hiring younger people. Or LinkedIn, which they have concluded is now a wasteland of misrepresented jobs and disingenuous companies.

There’s a nugget of truth in all these claims. But, behind them, there’s also more than a hint of powerlessness and victim-hood.

Yes, things are bad for older workers. There’s no denying that fact. But ultimately, older workers who need to find their next job don’t have the luxury of throwing in the towel.

So, what can they do?

Control what you can control

The advice I give each of these frustrated older job seekers is, “focus on what you can control.”

Yes, for various reasons and to various degrees, you may be at an unfair advantage when it comes to competing against ageism, younger (cheaper) workers, and, to a lesser degree, AI.

You may also be up against other older workers with more relevant experience, a flashier professional track record, or a network that includes influential people.

But when it comes down to it, are you doing everything you can to make sure you’re not competing against yourself and your own shortcomings as a job-seeker?

8 questions to make yourself a stronger candidate

Ask yourself these 8 questions:

1. What can I do to better stand out?
2. Are there ways in which I can strengthen my résumé?
3. Can I add more work samples or request recommendations to beef up my LinkedIn profile?
4. Can I anticipate difficult interview questions and craft better responses?
5. Have I carefully proofread my résumé and LinkedIn profile?
6. Can I build out my network by making a concerted effort to talk to more people?
7. Can I strengthen my story —what sets me apart from other candidates, regardless of their age—and distill it into a powerful “elevator pitch” that succinctly describes my experience and the value I add?
8. Am I sending prompt, personalized thank-you notes or emails after every interview or networking call?

Few people can honestly answer these questions and conclude that they are doing everything they can to advance their job search.

Opportunity instead of frustration

If you feel like you’re working hard but not getting any traction, you may read these questions and grow even more frustrated. Instead, I invite you to see them as an opportunity.

If there’s an area where you’re falling short, or there’s something you haven’t been doing that you could do, it doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means there’s something else you can control.

That’s empowering.

And by focusing on what you can control, you can make yourself more competitive by getting a leg up on the one competitor that may be standing between you and your next career opportunity.

Yourself.