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Aging Out of Your Job?

Are you beginning to pick up signs in the workplace or on job interviews that your industry has changed and left you behind? The signs may be subtle or direct, but the reality could be that you are aging out of your job.

Now, more than ever, it is important to understand how such communications may be transmitted so you can identify if you are at risk of aging out of your work. With this insight, you may be able to take action to protect yourself and your livelihood. Here are signs you can watch for:

What Is Going on Around You?

Sometimes, organizations change — that is a normal part of business. And while aging out is not necessarily age discrimination, some changes in your workplace or industry could lead to you being left behind in part because of your age.

• Demographics: Are younger, less-tenured employees being promoted ahead of you? This is a not-so-subtle sign that you are deliberately being passed over.
  
  
• Skill Sets: Has the entire division and/or company changed underneath or around you? If the company is using newer terminology you don’t use or you feel you’ve resisted technological changes that your company has instituted, this could add to your feelings of separation in the workplace. You inadvertently could be working your skills into obsolescence.
  
  
• At the Interview: A shallow exchange between you and the interviewer could indicate you should cut your losses, as the employer may have already made some assumptions about your hireability based on how old you look. This is a very disturbing signal. Either the recruiter or hiring manger felt obligated to interview you or was just going through the motions after already deciding you’re the wrong candidate.