Older job seekers do many things well. One of the obstacles for many of them is presenting well in an interview. The lack of preparation. The lack of research. The application of relevant knowledge. All of those things can impede your chances. Jeff Altman has 40 years experience advising job seekers with interviews and helping them with their challenges.
Jeff Altman (@TheBigGameHuntr) has been a recruiter for around 40 years. He has many resources on his website where more than 1600 videos to help with anyone’. He has a new website, jobsearchcoachinghq.com. His podcast is a useful resource too. On “Job Search Radio” he interviews career coaches, resume writers, and recruiters to get their perspective and advice for job seekers.
- Here are some discussion highlights:
- The point is always missed with job seekers — skills defining the job are different than the skills to do the job
- Over 50 job seekers must not buy the notion – “I’m over 50, I’ll be discriminated against
- One of the frequent causes of a lack of presentation is the lack of preparedness
- Practice will help you execute at the drop of a hat
- Converting education to real experience is a barrier if the professors don’t know how to make it transfer to todays real world expectations
- The preparation is work needing to be done in order to make your capabilities plain to employers
- Jeff recommends initiating the tone and pace of the interview – shift mindset from expecting to be interrogated. The job candidate positions himself better by having a conversation than a boss/subordinate Q & A
- Ask more consultative questions defining the problem the employer wants to solve. Find out what matters to them
- Recognize the stage, the audience, and find ways to make them respond. Make your presentation sound fresh
- Energy is a key for older job seekers to engage the audience—don’t be the parent telling a younger interview what to do
- Social media is great for research and to leverage the interview for familiarity and to stand out