Well-worth Reading

There's a new Alexander in town.

I've posted several things here from the Maven of Happiness, Valerie Alexander, in the past.  But this comes from her sister, Carol Fox, who works in business recruiting.

It's an interesting, real-world look at ageism in the real-world marketplace.  From a real-world perspective.  (Did I mention this is about the real world?)  What's intriguing is that she lays out not only the reasons why some companies might not hire an older worker, but the legitimate reasons why not.  However, she then points out a number of very specific suggestions an older, prospective applicant can take to break past the barriers.

(Apparently the Alexander sisters love giving advice to others...  Family get-togethers must be an experience.  The good news is that they're all from a nurturing stand-point, so I suspect there's a lot of hugging.)

It's a bit long, and some of the suggestions are bluntly specific (and many are very interesting, explaining for example what you should leave off your resume...and why), but again, it's the real world being discussed, not a feel-good seminar. After all, there are biases and preferences in life we come in contact with all the time, and the trick is dealing with them.  What the piece offers is well-considered advice from someone who does this for a living and talks with others who do it for a living.  So, when people like that say very bluntly, "You should be sure to dress this way, not that," it comes from a life of experience doing the job of interviewing.  You can say in return, "Sorry, this shouldn't be about outward,surfaces appearances, I'll dress how I feel comfortable because it's who I am," but it's always good to listen to the person who is hiring -- because if they disagree, no matter how comfortable you feel, you're not getting the job, 

Mainly, what I found interesting is not so much it's advice on applying for a job -- because if you're not in the market, who cares? -- but the general psychology of how we view people different from us, and dealing with that in return.  You can read it here.