Age and the career hourglass .......
Age and the career hourglass .......
Age is sometimes not just a number. In many highly visible and high profile positions every passing day can feel like the career hourglass, status and stature slowly slipping away. We tend to focus on the systematic industry issues as we look for answers.
The industry hiring practice of "Young, Hot, and Cheap" that propelled us at 25 (we called it 'opportunity' then) are working against us at 55 (now it's discrimination). It's not new right?
In 1989, a then nearly 40 yr old mother of three Jane Pauley was replaced with 30 yr old Deborah Norville. Gender/age discrimination existed when we started our career and it's only slightly morphed over the past 30 yrs. Driven by budget, ratings, and 'perceived' audience preference, it was wrong then and it's still wrong today.
There are 3 ways to minimize the impact of age in your career transition. Note the word 'minimize' not 'avoid' or 'eliminate'.
1. Self awareness and being able to articulate your value is critical. Those aren't wrinkles. That's valuable experience and brand equity.
2. Future opportunity comes from your fiscal maturity. You don't need the newest iPhone. You don't need commitments, you need flexibility. You need a plan for this day.
3. THE. MOST. IMPORTANT. If you can't tell YOUR story, people don't hear your roar, they see your wrinkles or conversely your lack of experience. If you level up your storytelling, your lack of experience doesn't necessarily translate into 'cheap'.
See: "Age and the career hourglass ..... is age just a number?" for more detail on best practices:
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