How to Rock An Interview When You Are Over 50 and Your Interviewer is 20 Years Younger!
Source: rocket50
By: rocket50 Staff
Date: March 1, 2023
How to Rock An Interview When You Are 50+
If you are over 50 and facing the prospect of interviewing for a new job, it can be unnerving to think about interviewing with people much younger than yourself. This article will provide you with some tips on how to succeed regardless of the age of your interviewer.
Anticipate that the person interviewing you might be 20+ years younger than you
It is most likely the case that the person interviewing you and even your eventual boss is going to be from the generation referred to as “Millennials”. Millennials are born from 1981 to 1996, so are between the ages of 26 and 41. The reality at this stage of life is that you qualify as being an “older employee”, but don’t let this worry you! Every workplace is made up of older and younger people and this is where the magic happens. Older experience and younger power, it's a great mix! Keep this positive image in your head as you prepare for your interview.
Make A Good First Impression
Research shows that most people make a first impression of a person within 7 seconds. So how can you make the best positive first impression with a younger interviewer? In the first place, remember back when you were young. Didn’t you find older people interesting as long as you could relate to them? This usually meant that they looked and sounded like you, but had some really interesting perspectives. Now applying this to your job interview, consider how you should dress? Definitely not like you did 20 years ago. Think about how a young professional person would dress today. What is the current fashion including colors and style? Best is to study the company website and look for pictures of employees to get more clues.
Gen Zs and Millennials have short attention spans
The benefit of being a mature person is that you have had years of experience. You have been around the block, you have seen a lot. However, hearing the whole story is not what a younger interviewer wants to hear no matter how important you think it is. In particular, Gen Zs and Millennials are known to have short attention spans due to the fact that they grew up in the Digital Age where information overload is the norm. So, how can you avoid not boring the person who is interviewing you?
Start by focusing on what the purpose of the interview is all about. It is to discover if you are the right person for the job - to see if you have the skills and knowledge to effectively do the role you are applying for. It is important to remain brief and concise when describing what you have done. One approach that works well is to use what is referred to as “STAR” (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
The STAR Method
The STAR method is a structured approach to responding to interview questions by focusing on the specific situation, task, action, and result of the situation you are describing.
Situation: Describe the situation that you were in or the task that you needed to accomplish. You must describe a specific event or situation, not a generalized description of what you have done in the past.
Task: What is the goal you were working towards?
Action: Describe the actions you took to address the situation with an appropriate amount of
detail.
Result: Describe the outcome of your actions What happened? How did the event end? What did you accomplish? And very importantly, what did you learn? Interviewers love it when people can recall what they learned from their experiences and in particular when you are an older person because it demonstrates that you like learning, and can learn.
Ask Great Questions
While in many cases as a more mature person, you may know the answers to almost everything someone may ask you in an interview. However, it is important that you do not let impatience or arrogance slip into the interview because the questions being asked feel basic to you. Don’t oversell your decades of experience. Rather than playing the “been there, done that” card,
showcase your knowledge by asking deep and relevant questions that demonstrate you understand the company you are interviewing with and are clearly interested in how you can support them. Acknowledge that while you bring a lot to the table, you are curious and interested in learning more.
Bear in mind that the selection process today is more usually focused on the candidate’s ability to work collaboratively in teams. Also, values and diversity are important to everyone, so be sure that you have the company values on the tip of your tongue and can speak to how they are in sync with you on a personal and professional level.
Overcoming The Tech Gap
There is a strong misconception that people over the age of 50 are not that tech savvy. In many cases, this is simply not true, but to ensure that you can overcome any potential bias that may be lurking in your interviewer, be sure to highlight the tech you use and how you have created efficiencies or cost saving using various technologies. Don’t forget to refer to any apps you use i.e slack, Whatsapp, Notion, Asana or any of the other popular task management tools out there. And when scheduling a new appointment, please refer to your phone calendar, not anything that resembles paper!
A last important tip in this section is that your Linkedin profile should be up to date before you get to the interview. It should be relevant to the job you are applying for, have a good photo with relevant skills highlighted. While your interviewer may still want and refer to your resume/CV, they may refer to your Linkedin profile.
Tackle your age proactively
One of the most important hesitation factors to overcome in the mind of an interviewer is; are you going to be too expensive and will you want to retire early? Don’t wait until you are asked this question because in today's world, a professional interviewer is NOT going to ask this because it is illegal, especially in the US. So, be sure to tackle this early on by explaining your long term plans and how this role fits well with your future.
Looking Good Online
Be prepared that the entire interview process may not happen in person. It has become very common for some or even all interviews to be held online. If you are not used to this, practice in advance by getting your tech set-up a few days in advance and having a call with a friend or family member.
Here are 5 additional tips to make sure you are looking good in your on-line interview.
- Practice looking directly into the screen, head level and eyes straight ahead. Put your interviewer's screen directly under the green camera light and look at their face, not yours.
- Make sure it isn’t too dark but stay away from overhead lights during the interview, if you can. If possible, sit near a window with your face towards the natural light.
- Remove clutter or other odd distracting things in the background.
- Make sure pets, children or others are not going to disturb you during the interview.
- Sit up straight and dress professionally.
Don’t forget at the end of every interview, restate your interest in the position and thank the person who interviewed you. Don’t forget to send a follow-up email 24 to 48 hours after the interview mentioning briefly some key insights you gleaned from the interview (not more than one paragraph) and don’t forget to include any other information you may have promised to send.
Look out for our next Career Series article where we will talk about dressing for success when you are over 50 and how to best manage interviews when they are conducted on-line.
Rocket50 is for people who love the idea of being switched on and tuned in the later stage of life. Grow your skills, increase your confidence and discover what’s next for you. Join our 50+ community and partner with us every step of the way. Let’s spark a movement. Together.