Older Workers - The Age Advantage!

An interview is a formal process in which you present yourself to a potential employer. They have the opportunity to ask you questions to discover if you are the right person for the job.
Interviews are much more formal now than in the past. An interview can be conducted by one person, a team of two, or a panel of three to five people.
An interview is your opportunity to show the employer why your skills and experience are the best fit for the job. This is your 'selling' opportunity.

What this means for the Older Worker

Providing confident statements about your skills in response to interview questions is not bragging, as you may once have been taught.
You may need practice to learn how to appropriately highlight the value you as an Older Worker bring to the employer.
All your skills, life experiences, and personal attributes are assets that you need to learn how to 'sell' to a prospective employer.

A job interview can be stressful no matter what your age or situation. There are many things you can do to prepare for your interview experience which may help reduce the stress.

Find out all you can about the job and the company or business that you have applied to. That way you'll have a better idea of what skills to highlight.
Spend some time thinking about interview questions and practice answering them.
Videotape a practice interview so you can see how you come across to others (most of us have no idea) and so you can change what needs to change.

Things to think about

Some questions may make you feel awkward or tongue-tied. The employer is not trying to put you on the spot or embarrass you. The employer may need to know that you will keep your cool under pressure, that you think well on your feet or that you have good problem-solving skills. Many Older Workers are surprised by the style of questions asked in interviews. You could talk to friends and co-workers about their interview experiences to get a better sense of how interviews are conducted.
Try to find a balance between saying too much and saying too little. It's usually not appropriate to go into a long story about an experience or to illustrate a point. Saying too little may make you seem uninterested to the employer.
Use each interview to learn how to better prepare for the next interview. Consider it a learning experience. Remember that you can learn interview skills, just as you've learned many other skills.

Things to do

Prepare for every interview by reviewing your skills, attributes and accomplishments using either your résumé or portfolio.
Find out as much about the job before the interview as you can and practice making connections between the skills you offer and the needs of the job or employer.
Practice your interview skills: use an appropriate handshake (no death grips or limp fish handshakes please!), make eye contact (people like us to look at them when we're talking), answer a range of questions about your self and work (you bring experience, a life-time of skills and value to the prospective employer-tell them this with confidence).
Pay particular attention to the things you do when you're nervous, such as hair pulling, leg jittering, shifting in a seat, playing with a paper clip or pen or answering questions without looking at the person you're talking to and do your best avoid doing these things during the interview.
Visit your local Job or Career Resource Centre and ask if there are workshops available to help you with your interview skills or whether they offer 'mock interviews' to help you practice the interview experience.

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