Have you encountered age discrimination?

Q: Claims of age discrimination in hiring are a significant controversy, especially in a tough economy. Have you encountered age discrimination in your work environment?

Nick's reply: Age discrimination might happen for any of several reasons. One is prejudice. Some managers just don't believe older workers can keep their skills up-to-date. Another is cost-related. Some employers believe older workers are more expensive to hire and more costly to maintain because of health insurance and pension requirements. And some employers discriminate out of fear of disrupting a youth-oriented work culture. They seem to believe older workers are more set in their ways and less likely to adapt to a fast-paced environment.

I won't even get into the legal issues, because we all know age discrimination is illegal. That doesn't mean it doesn't happen. But it can be very costly to fight that battle.

Clearly, American business is squandering an enormous asset when older workers are discriminated against. But the problem is more insidious because it creates a nasty cycle. Fear of age discrimination makes older job candidates nervous. And that leads employers to sometimes reject them in interviews for the wrong reasons. Whether or not an employer is discriminating, the wary older worker nonetheless tends to approach an interview with trepidation. And this is where the problem is exacerbated.

Age discrimination is sometimes unintentional. When the economy is weak and lots of people are job-hunting, employers get many applicants, including more older workers. If the choice is between an older worker and a younger one, the hiring manager may detect subtle cues of worry from the older candidate. Without thinking, the manager may interpret nervousness about potential discrimination as nervousness about the job -- and reject the candidate for the wrong reason.

This brings us to an interesting catch-22: If the older worker gets distracted by fear of discrimination, the interview may not go well. A job interview is stressful enough; worrying about how a manager might react to your age just makes it worse. The only way to combat this is to stay focused on what really matters: your ability to do a job profitably.

I may not be able to change discriminatory hiring behavior, but I can try to influence how older workers interview so they can overcome age bias. I believe the key lies in a worker's ability to control a job interview and keep it focused on how the worker can contribute to the company's bottom line. I've seen this approach succeed again and again, even when the employer has a bias. But it's entirely up to the job candidate to implement it.

This is important for all job candidates, but especially those who might be discriminated against. Keep profit in mind when you interview, and you can overcome all but the most blatant discrimination. Remember that all companies share one objective: to produce profit.

If you prepare your interview presentation to show how you will do the job in a way that reduces costs and/or increases revenues, you will help an employer get past concerns about how your age might adversely affect the business. In fact, you can greatly impress an employer with your focus on the business's success. On the other hand, if you are defensive and expect discrimination, you are allowing the interviewer and your expectation of bias to color how you are perceived.

I know that's a tough pill to swallow -- why should you even have to worry about it? You shouldn't, but that won't make it go away. I can't change the world, but I can try to help you overcome this barrier. The choice is yours. Focus on profit, or let the employer focus on your gray hair. You can overcome the employer with visions of dollar signs on the bottom line, or let the employer worry about the costs you might represent. It's up to you to tilt the balance. Give the employer reasons to focus on what matters: business success. If in the end you believe you've been discriminated against, you can either take legal action, or move on to a better employer.

Copyright 2008. Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate

Nick Corcodilos is author of "Ask The Headhunter: Reinventing the Interview to Win the Job" and the host of www.asktheheadhunter.com. He can be reached by e-mail at seattle@asktheheadhunter.com or at North Bridge Group, P.O. Box 600, Lebanon, NJ 08833. Sorry, no personal replies.