ds, and attitudes. She works hard to stay one step ahead, and she’s not bitter about anything, not even some significant health problems.

These two older workers, one unemployed and one employed, em

I know an older candidate, currently job hunting, who feels perpetually discriminated against. I’ve known him for years, and I swear he’s projected the same attitude as long as I’ve known him. He believes that employers see him as inflexible, unwilling to learn new skills, set in his ways. Honestly, I think he works hard to live up to these attitudes. He wears these attitudes on his sleeve, as they say — along with the bitterness he feels about being “discriminated against.” But I’ve never known him to do anything to alter these perceptions.

I have another colleague, a woman who is almost 15 years senior to my friend. Every time I interact with this woman, I am left in awe of the tremendous depth of knowledge and experience she embodies. At the same time, she is amazingly hip to new technologies, trends, and attitudes. She works hard to stay one step ahead, and she’s not bitter about anything, not even some significant health problems.

These two older workers, one unemployed and one employed, emb

that employers see him as inflexible, unwilling to learn new skills, set in his ways. Honestly, I think he works hard to live up to these attitudes. He wears these attitudes on his sleeve, as they say — along with the bitterness he feels about being “discriminated against.” But I’ve never known him to do anything to alter these perceptions.

I have another colleague, a woman who is almost 15 years senior to my friend. Every time I interact with this woman, I am left in awe of the tremendous depth of knowledge and experience she embodies. At the same time, she is amazingly hip to new technologies, trends, and attitudes. She works hard to stay one step ahead, and she’s not bitter about anything, not even some significant health problems.

These two older workers, one unemployed and one employed, em

long with the bitterness he feels about being “discriminated against.” But I’ve never known him to do anything to alter these perceptions.

I have another colleague, a woman who is almost 15 years senior to my friend. Every time I interact with this woman, I am left in awe of the tremendous depth of knowledge and experience she embodies. At the same time, she is amazingly hip to new technologies, trends, and attitudes. She works hard to stay one step ahead, and she’s not bitter about anything, not even some significant health problems.

These two older workers, one unemployed and one employed, em

nior to my friend. Every time I interact with this woman, I am left in awe of the tremendous depth of knowledge and experience she embodies. At the same time, she is amazingly hip to new technologies, trends, and attitudes. She works hard to stay one step ahead, and she’s not bitter about anything, not even some significant health problems.

These two older workers, one unemployed and one employed, em

ds, and attitudes. She works hard to stay one step ahead, and she’s not bitter about anything, not even some significant health problems.

These two older workers, one unemployed and one employed, embody prevalent stereotypes. We’ve all met them many times before, in one form or another. The stereotypes are so common, it’s easy to quickly pigeonhole older workers into one or the other. If you are an older candidate, this is a challenge you face. The good news is that it’s largely up to you to control which way you are likely to be seen.

I am not making light of the challenges older workers face, suggesting that there is no such thing as age discrimination, or implying that the solutions are instant and easy. But I do want to highlight two specific things about these older workers, and why I believe they are perceived so differently.

First, each of these people is seen very much the way that they see themselves. Granted, this isn’t always the case — we all know people whose self-image is skew