Drop 15 Years before Your Next Job Interview
The Experts Say Out-of-work Media People Must Think Young!
Apr 2, 2009
Some of it can seem tongue-in-cheek. Avoid seeming old? Join Face Book? Start Twittering? But upon reflection, the need for the mature job-seeker to be perceived as "with it," a little bit hip, and not out-of-touch is perfectly clear.
Journalist and career expert Steven Viscusi has written a column of "bulletproof tips" that will help. Sure a potential employer has access to your real age, he writes on April 2, 2009 at The Huffington Post, but "you need to learn the fine art of being perceived as younger as well as looking younger........Here is the truth: 'perception' is the new reality, like 60 is the new 50."
At the Poynter Institute Colleen Eddy has picked up on Viscusi's tips and expanded on the ones she most agrees with.
Suggestions Both Experts say Job-Seekers Must Follow
- Yes, join Facebook -- today! That tops Eddy's list. Understand "social networking" and use it, she says.
- Know about, and frequently use, Google and Wikipedia – increasingly important, according to Eddy, as news organizations seek new ways to incorporate online tools in what they do.
- Know what's going on in pop culture – pick up relevant magazines and read them to become better informed in this area.
- Go to the gym – keeping fit will help you manage the stress and feel better; it might help you look better too. Viscusi suggests that if you don't get there very much, at least hint that you do.
- Learn how to text! There are excellent Suite101 articles on this, including Decoding Text Messaging Lingo for those who need the help.
There's more from these experts on how to look, dress, and even how to use your voice to the best effect on the phone. Neither suggest the job-seeker should actually try to dress younger. Conservative and age-appropriate are the watchwords for dress; navy blue is always a good color choice. Both Eddy and Viscusi stress the importance of a bright, warm smile.
The "Don'ts" are as Interesting as the "Do's:
- Don't bring your family into the interview. Rarely mention your children; never your grandchildren. And if there are great grandchildren, never; ever; for obvious reasons.
- Never talk about the 80s; or the 90s.
- Never let anyone see you reading Entertainment Weekly or its equivalent; do read it (see "pop culture" above) but don't be seen reading it.
- And do not carry a newspaper into the interview with you. Do as the young do – get your news online.
At the end of Viscusi's column he adopts a slightly apologetic tone, wondering if the job-seekers he is addressing are feeling "berated?.....Trust me," he says, "I just took 15 years off the way you come across." Both career advisors are talking about a mixture of cosmetic changes and inner attitude adjustments. Important things, obviously, for job-seekers of any age.
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