找工作无法回避的年龄问题

Q: I am looking for a full-time job that uses my writing, people and information-gathering talents from 25 years as a Los Angeles Times staff writer. My concern, validated by the coach at the retraining corporation, is that I am over 40. That coach actually told me to leave the dates of college attendance, etc., off my resume. My brother, president of a publicly-traded company, said this advice was nonsense, although he did say age is an issue (and he's older than I am).Can you address this issue of inferiority complex for those of us competing with candidates 20 years our junior? How do we address it? How can we compensate for the potential perception that we are burn-outs or tired when we might -- in my case -- just be bored because we know the job so well?
我正在找全职工作，希望可以利用到我在《洛杉矶时报》做了25年撰稿人所积累的写作经验、人脉关系和信息收集的技能。我担心的是我已经40多岁了。我的这种担心已经被再培训公司的教练所证实。那个教练实际上是告诉我不要在自己的简历中填写上大学的时间。我的哥哥是一家上市公司的总裁，他说教练的建议是胡说八道，不过他的确说年龄是个问题（他可是我哥哥，年纪比我还要大。）你能谈谈，像我们这样与比自己小20岁的应聘者竞争的人所遇到的自卑感吗？我们该如何解决这个问题？我们如何才能消除人们对我们的这样一种潜在看法：我们油尽灯枯了或太累了，而实际上，比如我，只是因为对工作太熟悉而感到无聊而已。

A: No doubt, age discrimination does exist in the workplace. But don't despair. There actually are advantages to being over 40.
答：毫无疑问，职场上确实存在年龄歧视。不过不要失望。年龄超过了40岁实际上也有好处。

'This is a good time to position yourself as a deeply competent and confident professional in your area of expertise and experience,' says Rabia de Lande Long, a consultant and executive coach at Chartwell Advisors. 'In uncertain economic times, employers can be drawn more to experienced workers who join with ready-to-use skills and a shallow learning curve,' she says.
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Chartwell Advisors的顾问、执行教练德兰德龙(Rabia de Lande Long)说，这是一个好机会，你可以把自己定位成在你的专业领域中一个非常有能力、非常自信的专业人士。她说，在不确定的经济时期，雇主可能会对经验丰富的人更感兴趣，他们拥有现成的技能，无需经过太多的培训。

年过半百找工作
Finding Employment in Your 50s

年过半百找工作
What's more, younger workers are often perceived as job hoppers -- quick to jump from one opportunity to the next. Employers aren't likely to want to invest in training new talent -- especially in this environment -- unless employees are committed and stable.
此外，较年轻的员工常常被视为容易跳槽。雇主不太可能希望在培训新人上投资，特别是在目前这样的环境下，除非员工尽忠职守、工作踏实。

As to whether or not you include the dates of your degrees, career experts have varying opinions. In most cases, it is a good idea to include them. If your resume attempts to indicate that you are younger by leaving out graduation dates or eliminating 10 years of early career history, 'you could run the risk of surprising the interviewer and disqualifying yourself -- not so much because of age, but because you have misled the employer,' says Sheryl Spanier, a career coach and consultant. When you include early work experience, it isn't difficult to calculate the general age of a candidate. So why make the recruiter do the math? Leaving out the dates of your degrees may also make it appear that you have something to hide. What's more, many employers verify degrees and will ask you to provide graduation dates, so you might as well provide them. Be sure to include any recent continuing education and dates you completed the work.
至于你是否要把自己的教育时间包括在简历中，职业专家的观点各异。大部分情况下，把教育时间写进去是个好主意。职业教练、顾问斯潘尼亚(Sheryl Spanier)说，如果在简历中不写毕业时间或是最初10年的工作经历，为的是显得你更年轻的话，你在面试的时候可能会把面试官吓一跳、失去机会，并不是因为你的年龄，而是因为你误导了雇主。当把早期的工作经历写进去，就不难算出一个应聘者的大概年龄了。所以，为什么要让招聘官做算数呢？把教育时间省略掉，还可能让你看起来像在掩盖什么。此外，很多雇主会核实应聘者的学历，要求你提供毕业时间，所以你最好还是在简历中写明。记得把任何最近的继续教育经历和时间写到简历中。

For professionals who are in their mid-50s and older, it will be harder to overcome potential employer biases. 'If you are a youthful 55, perhaps you could post a professional photo of yourself on LinkedIn, which most recruiters check these days,' says Ms. de Lande Long. In addition, in your cover letter, you'll want to differentiate yourself 'by showing results, (understanding of) technology and demonstrate ease in interacting with colleagues of all ages,' she says.
对于55岁以上的专业人士来说，就更难克服潜在的雇主偏见了。德兰德龙说，如果你55岁，但看起来很有活力，或许你可以在LinkedIn发布一张自己的职业照，如今大部分招聘者都会浏览LinkedIn。她说，此外，在你的自我介绍中，你要让自己与众不同，展示自己的成果，对技术的理解，以及自己与各个年龄段的同事沟通交流都得心应手。

During the interview process, avoid the 'been there, done that' attitude. Instead, show interest, commitment, enthusiasm and energy. 'If you're bored with your profession, you can be sure that comes through in an interview,' says Susan Chadick, a principal at Chadick Ellig, an executive-search firm serving small and mid-size companies and startups.
在面试过程中，避免平铺直叙式的态度。相反，要展示自己的兴趣、奉献精神、热情和能量。Chadick Ellig的一位负责人查蒂克(Susan Chadick)说，如果你对自己的专业厌倦了，你肯定会在面试时显露出来。这是一家高管猎头公司，为中小企业和初创公司提供服务。