Focusing on the Real Obstacle

Focusing on the Real ObstacleHere's an interesting email I just received from a reader:

Hello Alan,

I have been a follower for about 2 years now and I know you have addressed the over 50 people in the past but I still can't get hired. When the application says how much experience should I tell the truth at over 20?
            
Thank you,

Kaylee

I'm going to "read between the lines" a little here.

First, let me ask you:

Can you relate to what Kaylee is asking here?

When you feel that you'd like to hide or at least "water down" your experience, so that hiring managers cannot infer your age and pass over you for someone younger? Is this a dilemma you also face?

If so, there's something important I'd like to share with you:

This fear may or may not be true. However, either way, this isn't the problem you should be focused on. Why? Because it's not the real obstacle.

If you're worried about "blowing" job opportunities by revealing your age (something they will discover sooner or later) then it means two things:

First – you're looking in the wrong places, for the wrong type of jobs.

(You need to find roles where the hiring manager values experience and is willing to pay a premium for access to your smarts and wisdom.)

Second – you don't have enough irons in the fire.

(My Dream Job Formula program helps you clear both these obstacles.)

So, here's my advice for Kaylee:

She needs to move her focus over to the real problem here. Forget about trying to hide your age. Focus on getting more and better irons in the fire.

When you're sending out your resume to someone who values experience, who needs a reliable and dependable hand, you don't have to hide your age.

(Tactics like this don't work anyway. Hiring managers will find out during the interview that you purposely misled them, and they'll be resentful.)

There are LOTS of great job opportunities for more experienced folks.You just need to know where and how to find them, and how to put yourself in the running.

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Alan Carniol

Alan is the creator of Interview Success Formula, a training program that has helped more than 80,000 job seekers to ace their interviews and land the jobs they deserve. Interviewers love asking curveball questions to weed out job seekers. But the truth is, most of these questions are asking about a few key areas. Learn more about how to outsmart tough interviewers by watching this video.