On paper, recent years have been a boon for older workers. Since 2000, more than 1 million workers age 55 and older have won new jobs, according to an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data conducted by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas. The study notes that older workers are the largest and fastest growing group, which tends to exacerbate the employment competition among them.

The road to success starts by first getting the chance to interview and then winning over the interviewers, some of whom may be younger than you, and not open to older candidates. Since knowledge is power, it's important to understand the perceptions you'll have to deal with.

Negative paradigms about older workers that you might need to overcome include: lack of adaptability, lack of current knowledge, an inability to relate to younger team members, unreasonable salary demands, and struggling to handle the pace of work.

Your Resume

While you don't want to lie, there are certain things you can do to make your resume more "age neutral." First, use a functional format, rather than chronological, and focus on your last 10 years of experience. Use a targeted resume format that highlights the match between your skills and experience and the position you're seeking. To avoid being dishonest, you can always add the phrase "additional experience, salary history and references available upon request." Also, you don't have to provide the year you obtained your college degree, although you will have to list it on the job application if it's requested there.

Act Young

"As people age, they have less serotonin," says Susan Ayers Walker, managing director with SmartSilvers Alliance and a writer for AARP. "This makes people more short tempered and they appear less energetic. While you want to be natural, it's critical not to come off as stressed or intense during the interview."

Acting young and energetic with the body language to boot goes a long way toward your goal of "myth busting" paradigms about older workers. Your objective is to appear age-neutral so that the interviewer focuses on your skills and abilities.

You don't want to draw attention to your age, so be ready to cite examples of recent successes rather than older ones. Don't mention things like early retirement, the age of your children or that you want a slower pace which might reinforce the interviewer's age biases.

Use Your Experience to Your Advantage

Experience is where older workers can really separate themselves from the crowd.

"I would do some pre-research on the company and be ready to provide examples of your work, how you have overcome obstacles and had an impact on the bottom line that relates back to the situation you might be entering," says Walker.

More experienced workers have the advantage of "having been there and done that" before, so now you want to turn it on. Provide the detail of your projects, the role you played and the impact you had. Be sure to illustrate how you out-paced others and contributed more. You don't want to act cocky, but confidence and knowledge will make you seem like a better choice than a less-experienced worker who might need training to get up to speed. The true value proposition of experience is enhanced productivity and fewer errors, and older workers are often lower maintenance from a management standpoint than their younger counterparts.

"Experience is important, because you can use it to be insightful and ask the interviewer more intuitive, deeper level questions," says Walker.

Also, loyalty and teamwork are still valued in the workplace. The paradigm that younger workers often have to overcome is being self-focused and unwilling to work their way up. Emphasize where you have demonstrated loyalty and put your self-interests second. It just might be the one thing that the hiring manger really wants to hear.

Be Flexible

"One of the fears about older workers is that they aren't flexible. So be willing to demonstrate that you can learn from the group and don't say 'we used to do it his way,'" says Walker.

Quite honestly, as an older worker, statistics suggest that you might not always get top dollar. The more flexible you are on pay, the more offers you'll get. Try negotiating for more vacation, work-from-home days or educational reimbursement. Also, certain sectors are noted for being more "older worker friendly," like education, health care and consulting. The more you throw your hat into the ring within these industries the more likely you are to come away with an offer and a chance to be valued for your experience.

Leslie Stevens-Huffman is a freelance writer based in Irvine, Calif., who has more than 20 years experience in the staffing industry.

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