“Overcoming workplace ageism?”

Welcome to Edition #37 of Ask Gorick Anything. This AMA is part of Gorick's Newsletter, where Harvard career advisor and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Gorick Ng shares what they don't teach you in school about how to succeed in your career.

Sign up now to receive Gorick’s weekly career strategies!‍

→ Read time: 7 min

ASK GORICK ANYTHING

“How to overcome ageism and find work?”

Have a career question? Ask me here.

Subscriber’s question:

“Can you do an article on finding work in a world where ageism is a real problem? How to overcome it? Especially when online applications force answers to questions like graduation year, etc. Is there a niche website (not LinkedIn) that helps experienced workers?”

— Mary Love from Undisclosed

Gorick’s response:

Hi Mary,

I’m sorry to hear that you’ve been struggling with ageism. You’re right: it’s totally real.

In terms of niche websites that help older workers, here’s what I found:

If you’re in the US…

1. AARP Job Board
2. Age Friendly
3. Retirement Jobs

If you’re in the UK…

1. Rest Less
2. Vercida
3. Jobs/Redefined

If you’re in Canada…

1. The Government of Canada’s Job Bank (filtered by “Mature Workers”)

Note: I don’t have a relationship with any of these platforms and do not endorse any particular one! Please use at your own risk.

Spend any time on these platforms and you’ll notice the same pattern: Many jobs are in retail, sales, admin, customer service, operations, or personal or health care.

There’s an obvious reason and a less obvious reason.

The more obvious reason is that these are the jobs that have the highest turnover (defined here), the highest labor shortage, and the lowest institutional memory (defined here) requirements—so it’s both easy and necessary to bring lots of new people on board.

The slightly less obvious reason is that these jobs involve a skill that employers believe mature workers have and that younger workers lack: strong communication skills, reliability, and emotional intelligence (or, in the language of The Unspoken Rules, this equates to Competence, Commitment, and Compatibility).

If you’re interested in any of the jobs listed in these job boards, here’s my suggestion:

If it is easy to call or show up in person, do it!

Usually, this will be a local business that has a sales/customer service role available, has a physical retail operation, and a manager on duty.

Here’s how:

1. Call your desired location or show up if you’re in the area
2. Ask for the manager
3. Introduce yourself
4. Say that you’re interested in joining the team

I know this sounds old school, but this is one of the few settings where showing up still works; after all, showing up is exactly what you’ll be expected to do if you’re hired.

In fact, many such employers even offer their own in-person recruiting events. Try searching online for each company (or the city you live in), followed by “job fair,” “career fair,” “hiring event,” “career expo” or “meet and greet” to see what shows up.

If it is not easy to call or show up in person (often a corporate role where people are hidden behind the scenes), consider…

1. Finding people with the title of “CEO” or “COO” (if it’s a company with fewer than, say, 500 employees since senior leadership will still be quite hands on) or otherwise “general manager,” “head / director / VP of human resources” or “talent acquisition” (for your region or of your desired team if relevant)
2. See if any of these people recently posted on LinkedIn about positions the company is hiring for (ideally for a position you’re interested in and are qualified for)
3. Either (A) click on “Connect” on this person’s profile, followed by “Add a note” (if on desktop) or (B) click on the ••• next at the top of their profile, followed by “Personalize invite” (if you’re on mobile), and then write a short note like, “Hi _______—I’m an experienced _______ who is interested in your _______ role given _______ and would love to connect.”

4. If they accept your invite, try saying something like, “Hi _______, Thank you for your willingness to connect. I’ve applied / am interested in your _______ role which I came across on _______. Given that you must have many qualified candidates, I wanted to reach out personally to express my interest. I’d like to think that I’d be a great fit given [my background in _______ / my experience in _______ / my networks in _______ / my skills in _______]. Might you or someone on your team be open to chatting further? I’m available at…”

(If you don’t have a well-built out LinkedIn profile, try searching for their name + their company + @theirdomain.com and, if you can find their work email, send them an email instead.)

Look up your friends and former colleagues you got along with well to see where they’re working. If they’re at an organization you’d like to join + if they’re on the team you’d like to join + if it seems like that team might be hiring, contact them, chat with them, and ask if they’d be open to referring you. (It’s what everyone does! So, if you weren’t picked for a certain role, chances are that someone networked more than you.)

“You shared a bunch of job boards with me. Why can’t I just apply online,” you ask?

The answer is: you could! But here’s the thing about job hunting these days: the internet has made it easier than ever to click “submit” on lots of job applications. The result? Anyone can do it—and so everyone does do it.

Sure, there are plenty of people who do get jobs from simply applying online. Those high churn roles I mentioned earlier are a good example: people land those types of jobs all the time simply by applying. But, the more competitive the position, the more likely you’ll need to build a relationship with someone behind the scenes who can advocate for you—especially if you know there’s a bias against you (like what Ruth Bader Ginsburg's sponsor did for her).

In the end, getting picked is all about your “career capital”—or your skills, knowledge, network, and credibility that make you better and different from the next candidate.

So, if you’re not enthusiastic about any of the posted roles out there, ask yourself:

• What can I do that an organization would value? (“What skills do I have?”)

• What do I know that an organization would value? (“What knowledge can I offer?”)

• Who do I know that an organization would value? (“What networks do I bring?”)

• What reputation do I have that an organization would value? (“What credibility can I flex?”)

On skills and knowledge: If you’ve ever wondered why some technical roles (e.g., “Principal Engineers,” “Fellow”) are held by older folks, it’s likely because they have special know-how that an organization can’t live without.

On networks and brand: If you’ve ever wondered why many older folks serve on boards (e.g., Board of Directors,” “Board of Trustees”), become advisors or educators (e.g., “Advisor,” “Lecturer,” “Adjunct”), or work in fundraising (e.g., “Director of Development,” “Director of Major Gifts”), it’s likely because these people have established themselves in a certain field—so know people (and have people who know them and who will reply to them). (I’ve written more about serving on boards here.)

So, sure—go ahead and browse those job boards to see if anything interests you, but don’t be discouraged by what’s available. Instead, consider what skills, knowledge, networks, and credibility you have. Then, pitch yourself to the organizations you actually want to join—rather than simply pick from the jobs that are available.

Good luck—and let me know how things go!

See you Tuesday for our next story and unspoken rule,

Gorick

Want me to answer your own career question?

Ask me here: https://forms.gorick.com/askgorick

Every newsletter is free and a fraction of my work.

Here are 4 of my paid offerings that may interest you:

1. Keynote speaking: The second half of my 2025 speaking calendar is filling up! If your organization is looking for speakers for your internship program, new hire orientation, new student orientation, manager training, all-hands meetings, recruiting season, year-end performance evaluation season, or something else, let's chat!

2. How to Say It: Flashcards that teach you to know what to say in every high-stakes professional setting via hundreds of fill-in-the-blank scripts (just like the examples above). Free shipping on all orders over $40.

3. Fast Lane to Leadership: My online course that takes you from day 1 in a new role through to a promotion with 28 modules and 28 cheatsheets (3.5 hours of content). Use code ‘ireadgoricksnewsletter20’ for 20% off.

4. The Unspoken Rules: My Wall Street Journal Bestseller that Arianna Huffington calls “a blueprint for anyone starting their career, entering a new role, or wanting to get unstuck.” Used by top companies and MBA programs.