Don’t Downplay Your Age

If age discrimination is something you worry about in your job search, my advice? Don’t.

Own your age, and be confident about what you have to offer — whether you’re a young prodigy or an older, vibrant talent. 

And this goes for your profile photo on LinkedIn. The experts say your profile is 7x more likely to get attention if it includes a photo. From my experience at The Source and Recruit Company, people aren’t likely to take your profile seriously at all without a photo. 

What kind of photo should you use? One in which you’re smiling, look engaged and exude confidence. 

While you’re updating your profile, if you have more experience in the working world, take the time to really highlight it. Emphasize wins you’ve had in your career and the scope of experience you’ve gathered over the years. 

I don’t mean to imply that age discrimination does not exist. It certainly does, in some corners of hiring. But there’s a job out there for you, regardless of your age — which after all, is just a number.