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Older Job Seeker? Heed This Advice: Landing a Job Today is About Ability Not Seniority

Too many older job seekers think seniority is the key to landing a job. You're wrong, says Renée Ward, founder of Seniors4Hire.org and you should invest in services that help you showcase your vast knowledge, good judgment, wisdom, abilities and skills to prove your superior candidacy.

Seniority, that is, length of service and experience no longer matters in most companies and is even less of a factor in consideration for open positions. However, older job seekers still think seniority should give them precedence over others. This is an outdated mindset that should be abandoned. Studies have shown that differences in job performance between someone with 20 years experience and someone with just five years are often negligible.

This is a harsh reality and some will probably want to shoot the messenger. But older job seekers should know that companies seek people that can contribute to their bottom line. Older job seekers need to invest in services like resume writing that push their present qualifications to the forefront to land a job, says Ward.

"I'm very concerned about the older job seeker who does not put forth a rigorous professional job hunt, says Ward. "I've read way too many poorly written resumes. I've gotten lots of feedback from hiring managers to know many older job seekers do not present themselves well in an interview. You can no longer assume that just because you have length of service that that's synonymous with qualified in today's labor market."

Millions of older job seekers including baby-boomers--are competing with younger folks for a limited number of jobs. If you've been job hunting lately you also know that the person doing the hiring is oftentimes younger than the job seeker. It is also said, people hire people who look like them, or who are like them. Wide-spread recruiting via social networking surely bears this out.

But older workers need not be intimidated. "Companies want to know, what you can do for them today not your past", says Ward. "Resting on your past laurels will not help but your vast knowledge, good judgment and wisdom surely will. They want assurance that you can and will do the job you are vying for. You need to demonstrate how the company (and the hiring manager) will benefit by hiring you and address how your vast knowledge, good judgment, wisdom (that can only come from experience), abilities and skills make you a superior candidate.

It's about your ability not seniority.

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