Heres The Answer When They Ask How Old You Are

Heres The Answer When They Ask How Old You AreHeres The Answer When They Ask How Old You AreINBOX I have been out of work for over a year. Ive had at least 30 interviews but bedrngnis a single 2nd interview. My age? Well lets just say Im a very mature over 55. But I welches surprised when one lady flat out asked me how old I am. I was so flustered that I answered, even though I knew that shouldnt even be a question shes allowed to ask. And of course no call back.Employers seem to be getting bolder and bolder. Age discrimination is mora and more in your face. Some interviewers are asking straight out. The nuance there is that the question is not illegal. Whats illegal is using the answer against the candidate as a basis to rule him out. But thats the part thats difficult to prove. Plus, its depressing and draining to even spend time and energy on it.After getting over the initial shock if you do the 1st tendency may be to reply with, I thought you werent legally allowed to ask me t hat. You can smile and use a calm tone of voice while you say it, but the effect will be perceived as you putting up a brick wall during the interview. And the interviewer is likely to think youll be tough to get along with in a team environment. So lets go over the answers you can give when the employer wants to know your age.Turn The Question Back Around On ThemWhen the interviewer asks how old you are, respond with, Is there a minimum or maximum age for being able to perform this job? Again, smile and keep your voice calm. You answering the question with a question is likely to prompt the interviewer to drop his line of questioning. Of course, his answer is going to be, No, theres no minimum or maximum, at which point you can redirect and bring up a qualification or achievement you offer that matches what theyre looking for in the job.Provide An Answer, Not THE AnswerYour other response to the question can be to say that youre over 18 and legally able to work in the United States . Still smile. Your response doesnt prompt another question, so smoothly go right into what you bring to the table that qualifies you for the position.Whats key in fighting back against ageism is not just having something ready to say being armed with language helps you not be nervous and shocked, which is definitely useful. But what it really takes to win is for you to demonstrate how your experience will solve an issue the company is facing today.Treat the interview like a 2-way conversation between colleagues. Youre not in the same company yet, but youre most likely in the same industry. Ask questions of your own, especially around whats happening in the organization either now or next. When you pick up on something relevant to your background, float a trial balloon and make a recommendation.For example, if the interviewer says theyre actually looking to bring their customer service function in-house, you can talk about a similar experience in your past that you handled with suc cess, such as, Sure. When I was at Wayne Enterprises and they decided to launch their own customer care operation, one of the 1st things we did was make sure the call center technology was fully-featured and easy to deploy quickly. What call center solutions have you looked at so far? Youre telling them what they likely need to consider, demonstrating your knowledge from your very specific experience, then throwing the question back to them to promote that 2-way dialogue.This approach distinguishes you. If all you do is field their questions in police-interrogation style, then youre giving the interviewer every reason to compare you against all others. But if you demonstrate your knowledge in a manner that others are unlikely to do, you elevate yourself from commodity to unique.If you want to find out more about specific strategies to fight age bias in every phase of the job search process, join us for a free presentation, How To Get Hired In HALF The Time Without Getting Ghosted Be cause Of Age Discrimination Plus youll see stories of how real people ages 57, 69, 63, and more got over the hurdles, got hired, and are working in the jobs they love today. Click here to register now.