An organization with which I have been working as a volunteer for several years has the mission of helping people over 50 in their career transition. I am regularly invited there as a privileged participant in the labor market, and at each of my conferences, the question arises. At what age do you become old in the professional world? Or “too old” in the eyes of a potential employer?
I who am known for not stopping at age or gender criteria in each of our mandates, that always makes me a little perplexed. My goal is always the same, to enable my client to hire the most competent and efficient person possible, period.
Does performance have an age?
I have asked myself this question many times during my career. My answer is no, but you have to believe that not everyone who asks me the question and who is in career transition past 50 has this opinion. They have the impression of not being chosen, because they are “too” old. Moreover, it seems to me that many people live or perceive this prejudice.
Preceding one of these conferences, knowing that sooner or later the question was going to be raised, I tried to find the answer, or rather MY answer.
My thinking is this: in today’s market, only one thing is constant…and that’s change.
In this context, I believe that it is not the person who is “too” old, but his portfolio of skills that can quickly become obsolete if, out of fear of the unknown, weariness or simple laziness, he does not seek not actively keeping up to date.
Preserve your skills capital
If you don’t keep up with changes in the world of information technology, you may find it difficult to interact effectively within organizations that use collaborative platforms, social networks and that consider the use artificial intelligence (AI). By the same token, you may become less attractive to them.
So today, we become “old” when we stop learning, following the rapid evolution of the professional, technical and business environment.
So if you want to maintain your employability, do what it takes to stay up to date, maintain your skills, and make sure you’re constantly learning, especially what scares you and what you can’t master. In this context, I know 41-year-olds and young people over 70. If you don’t make an effort to keep your skills up-to-date, you may continue to rant against employers who you think are rejecting you for being too old. It doesn’t matter how old you are.
And ageism in all this?
I still remember a mandate as general manager that led us to work with a candidate who mentioned to me, on his own initiative, that I was over 65 and still felt young. Quite honestly, I pretty much agreed with him. However, he was not chosen. I am convinced that he said to himself that he was not hired because of his age and that he now proclaims himself a victim of ageism. But in reality it was nothing. The chosen candidate had skills that better matched the needs of our client and was over 70 years old…
I’m not pretending that ageism doesn’t exist, it’s a bit like human stupidity, racism and sexism. However, I am of the opinion that everyone has a responsibility to keep their skills up to date in order to preserve their employability.
Who has read a book on AI recently? What have you done this year to keep your skills current? Have you been surfing the same skills for several years? Don’t be the next dinosaurs in the world of work. Manage your skills capital before it is exceeded for a potential employer.