Thrive past 45
Here are 9 ways older employees can use their age to advantage
Even though you may move a little slower and favor comfortable shoes, you’ve got plenty of living left to do, especially at work — and you will keep working for a while. Whether you’re currently employed or looking for a new gig, here are nine ways you can use your age to your advantage:
1. Experience: If you’ve been in your industry for 20 years or longer, you’ve gained a substantial amount of institutional knowledge. You should put that knowledge up front when selling yourself for a position. This can be difficult to do without sounding condescending so remember, no preaching. You can try to compare two or three issues in today’s economy with issues you faced in the past, and tell your interviewer how you overcame the roadblocks and solved the problem. Smart managers know that problem-solving brains are useful, no matter how old they are.
2. Network: As companies rely more on independent contractors and consultants, they’ll need people within their own organization who can help steer them to quality talent outside the office. While companies use agencies to find the right people, there’s no substitute for first-hand knowledge of potential freelancers. When it’s time to fill a new or existing position, older workers are a great resource. They often are part of an extensive network of people who may be qualified — or who may know someone who’s qualified — for the open position.
3. Loyalty: “Millennials are wonderful workers but they’re a distrustful bunch — and yes, I know, we’ve made them that way,” says Walt Schneider, a former manager for Home Depot in San Diego, who now runs his own contracting business. “It’s refreshing when you have older workers who really get behind their work and their employer. I think that sense of loyalty and pride rubs off on all employees.”
4. Openness: Don’t be so sure that older workers won’t embrace technology. The TV-sitcom cliche of grandpa yelling at his computer screen is a far cry from reality. Most older workers have already incorporated technology into their personal lives so they’ll be happy to use some of the new tools you’re introducing at the office.
5. Perspective: What sounds like an esoteric offering is actually a very practical benefit. If you’re more experienced in your job, that’s great, but life experience counts, too. If you lived through layoffs, buyouts and every other corporate plague known to man, you know that they either eventually end or prompt rebirths in other areas. It’s helpful to have a cooler head on hand when things veer off course.
6. Focus: Donald Blackwell, an IT specialist with Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, says one of the best traits of older workers is their ability to avoid distraction. “I’m not saying that all 25-year-old employees are easily distracted but I find that for me and several of my older colleagues, we’re really able to hone in on what needs to be done because frankly, I’m not really interested in something I can learn from a phone or a website when I’m at work,” Blackwell says. “I don’t have the urge to engage in office gossip or talk to my wife for an hour every day about the same things we’ll talk about when
I get home. I enjoy what I do so I don’t mind focusing 100 percent when I’m at work.”
7. Communication: Despite the effectiveness of electronic communication, there is a definite value in face-to-face engagement. “I like having workers who can get up from their desk and talk to their coworkers about their work without feeling awkward and intrusive,” says Blackwell. “I’ve had people who will literally email a yes-no question to the person sitting next to them. That’s absurd. It’s nice to have people who like to be involved in real conversations.”
8. Flexibility: While the flextime workday seems to favor younger workers, older workers are often more open to working various schedules. Many enjoy the variety and no longer have to worry about dropping children off at school or rushing home to make dinner. “I work for the director of sales for a food distributor who has some odd hours, so we schedule my hours to shadow his,” says Dianne Mintor, an administrative assistant. “If he’s in Los Angeles, I’ll start later. I’ll work whatever hours he’s working. I just make sure I’m available as his resource.”
9. Confidence: Older workers often have a been-there, done-that demeanor that can serve as a guiding light for younger employees. Knowing he can get the job done have given Blackwell a certain swagger, he says. “I know what I’m capable of and I know how to solve problems. Does that make me a little cocky? Maybe. But I’d rather be cocky than timid,” Blackwell says. “Confidence means I know how to get things done.”