Age related interview question how old are you

Age related interview question how old are you Age related interview question Just because it is illegal doesnt mean it doesnt happen Age related interview question How would you answer the question “how old are you?” in a job interview?   Although the question in itself isnt illegal, discriminating against a candidate based on the answer is when age is not a factor. If you need to be 18 years old to do the job, this question is legal. The above being said, I would say that in most cases, this is an absolutely the wrong  interview question and for the most part if you are being asked this question in an interview, the interviewer didnt know any better. They asked the question and will base their overall opinion on not just your answer, but how you answer.  This question usually throws folks for a loop and will cost them the interview.  Are you going to let some dumb ass interviewer ruin your opportunity? Not in this economy. If you do not answer this age related interview question, avoid the question, or hesitate in your answer, the person interviewing you will have no choice but to think that even YOU as a candidate feel you are too old to do the job. This is a shit  sandwich  and you need to take a big bite. When I practice interviewing skills with folks over 40 I always ask a few age related interview questions. I won’t ask it in a real interview of course (hey, I am a paid professional) but I want folks to be prepared for it because most people conducting job interviews don’t know any better.   It’s usually is not their fault and I blame it on the person that sent them into the interview ill prepared. Put into perspective, we have all driven over the speed limit and yes, we put lives in danger.   Sometimes we knew what we were doing, but often times we just didn’t realize what the speed limit was. When practicing interviewing skills, the classic answers I usually hear are along the lines of: “I am old enough to have experience but young enough to do the job” “Isn’t that an illegal question?   I don’t have to answer that”. I get no answer.   Just a blank stare that reeks of disgust, mistrust, and attitude.   Their look says “did you REALLY just ask me that question you little punk ass?” All of the above answers just lost any and all momentum we had and any rapport that was previously built. Remember, the company called you in. They can determine your approximate age based on your experience and education.   They found a picture of your online somewhere and they still called you in. You are physically sitting in front of them so are not going to tell them anything they do not already know.   Own it. How many times have you told a young person something similar to the following? “You need to believe in yourself before you expect others to believe in you. “You need to like yourself before anyone else can believe in you.” Its called eating crow, so dig in. Again, is it an illegal interview question? In most cases yes. Does age effect job performance?   In most cases no, but fight that fight AFTER you get the job offer. Avoiding the question or making a scene gives the company the reason to decline you. You want to receive an offer and THEN have the option to figure out the “why and the ignorance” behind the question. Only then do you make a decision to work or not work with the group. NO ANSWER MEANS + DO NOT PASS HOME, GO  DIRECTLY TO JAIL Lets put this into perspective. If you know a job requires 8 years of experience and you only have 5 years of experience, how would you answer the pertinent question “how many years of experience do you have?”   You are not going to say “I only have 5 years of experience” and be embarrassed about it with head hung low. You aren’t going to avoid the questions and you are not going to lie. You are going to OWN the question and make it your bitch. You are going to look your interviewer straight in the eye and with confidence say: “I have 6 years of experience.   I feel that I learned a ton in those 6 years because 3 of them were in a very fast-moving environment and everything was accelerated.   I have 6 years of experience on paper, and I feel my knowledge reflects closer to 9 years of experience.   During 18 months of those 6 years, we added 25 employees to our group I was teaching others how to do this particular skill.   I went to conferences and read 4 books on the topic.” BOOYYAHHH!   We didn’t use the word “but”, we didn’t hide from the question, and most importantly, we didn’t lose momentum. Lets revisit the original age question. Lets think about how a 28-year-old candidate would answer this question. They would probably say something like: “I am 28 years old, and I feel like I am in great shape. I run a few miles a day, and I eat healthy and last month I ran a 5K race.” The way to avoid calling attention to the age related question is to answer it in the same way someone younger would. I would much rather hear something like this: I am 45 (55, you pick the number) years old, and I feel like I am in great shape. I run a few miles a day (practice yoga, play on my Wii, play golf), and I eat healthily. Last month I ran a 5K race (took a 5-mile hike, practice soccer with my son).“ “I am 50 years old but I feel better than ever. I swim 3 times a week and am remodeling our kitchen on the weekends. Right now we are putting in a granite counter and that thing weighed 400 pounds but we got it in”. If the above answers sound corny on paper, then you didn’t own it.   Answer the age-related interview question with  confidence and a smile because if you don’t, someone else will.  This answer doesn’t have to be the answer that gets you the job, it just needs to keep you in the game. If you hesitate on your answer or you avoid the question, you can guarantee that your game is going to be off for the rest of the interview. Do you really think you have a shot at the position if you avoid any question?   Here are a few more reasons you should answer this question. The person conducting the interview may have made an honest mistake; they really didn’t know the question was illegal. Someone else took the above advice and answered the question. They didn’t lose momentum in the interview and they still have their name in the hat. Have you ever heard of anyone avoiding a question during an interview and getting the job? If age isn’t a factor, then just give it to them. If you don’t get the job, you won’t see these people ever again. If you get the job, you will know that you weren’t judged on your age. Just because you answer the question, doesn’t mean you need to take the job.  You can still decline the offer. But lets get FIRST GET THE OFFER. Next time you are asked any age-related interview question, dont hesitate.   See you at the after party, HRNasty nasty: an unreal maneuver of incredible technique, something that is ridiculously good, tricky and manipulative but with a result that can’t help but be admired, a phrase used to describe someone who is good at something. “He has a nasty forkball. If you felt this post was valuable please subscribe here. I promise no spam,