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October 9, 2000

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Oldies Have To Make Sure They're Still Goodies

By Elisabeth Goodridge

re you an older IT worker who needs a job but finds that employers aren't biting? Make sure you invest the time it takes to present your job experience and skills in a way that companies will find attractive. Recruiters offer these tips to older IT workers who are looking for new jobs:

Recast your resumé to display current skills. Once you get the interview, then you can present your long-term experience related to any number of technologies.

Focus your resumé and your interviews primarily on the last three years of your employment history.

Refresh your skills with in-house or external training courses in the latest technologies.

Never stop networking with friends, acquaintances, and present and former co-workers.

If you've been following these suggestions but none seem to be working, recruiter Sharon Gadberry of Transitions Management Group/Outplacement International offers another idea: Take a contracting job. It's sometimes easier to land such jobs because employers place less personal scrutiny on applicants. "Project managers look for different qualities when they just need to get the job done," she says. Once you've proven yourself a valuable worker who fits into the company's culture, you may have avoided the danger of age discrimination and will be in a better position to seek full-time employment with the company.

In the process, you might find you enjoy the freedom that comes with contract work. Says Gadberry, "Contractors often don't want the full-time work offered to them."

Return to main story, "Older IT Professionals Struggle With Age Bias."

Illustration by Jordan Isip

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