Some ways to trick the employer into hiring a senior citizen

[PatrickR720159]

Some employers feel that we older people are not reliable since we were born in an era when there was no Internet and no smartphone.  Well, since now some of us may have to now rely on the bus to get to work, we could tell them that our commute would beat a young person to work.  How?  A 20-year-old spacing out to stupid sex songs on the car stereo and the our bus would pass that person up on the highway.  Another way is to mention that we don't do stupid stuff like sitting around spacing out to garbage while on the clock.  

[retiredtraveler]

"....Some employers feel that we older people are not reliable since we were born in an era when there was no Internet and no smartphone......".

I'm not sure how you are using the term 'not reliable'. It is true, whether you like it or not, that a large percentage of boomers have little to no tech experience. Being good with tech is a must-have these days for many jobs. It used to be enough to be good with some kind of word processing and spreadsheet applications. But now, you need to understand connectivity (all the devices that can communicate with one another through various apps), the various apps out there and what they do and how useful they are and how to access them.

   Another area that senior fail at is their health. As someone who works out 5 days a week, I would be hesitant to hire a senior who looks like they've never taken care of themself. There is an obesity epidemic, worse among seniors, and is of their own doing.

   Am I biased? Yes. And your posting shows the bias you have at the younger generation.

The real point is that we use a simple phrase: age bias. But it's far from simply age (except in some cases -- yes, some employers just look at age). As Soosie stated, it's about skills. I would add it's also about how good you look (appearance bias has always existed), how well you interview (always an issue even for younger applicants), how well you fill out forms (are you literate and do your applications show this?), how good your resume is. 

BTW ---- record numbers of seniors are getting jobs in this past year. 

[Soosie]

I think we have to constantly market ourselves. We need to present what we can do now. What we did in the past will not matter to anyone. We may have to bite the bullet and make less money. I recently tried to hire someone to do a good video. He wanted $700 to do a short segment. I know he was a professional and very good, but he is retired and looking for some extra bucks. I advertised that I was looking for low cost within my budget. He ended up acting mad with me. I found someone to do this for $150 which is a cost I can handle.

The younger employees can be selfish and seem to lack the desire to give a lot to a company, but they do come with a set of skills that are in demand. It can be a balancing act for a senior, but a good, up to date attitude will help. I took my current job long after my retirement age and have been here 8 years. I am open to new skills and admit when I need help. For now, I am working on my next career for a part time job when I do retire. I am a planner.