Thomas Pear ⋅ Cape Coral, FL Keiser University ⋅ 16 years experience

Sal,

Being turned down for your age can be discouraging, but play the numbers. If a 30-year-old would send out 10 resumes, you send out 20.

Turn the interview to your strengths, you may want to let the interviewer know that while you are older, you are in good health and, if you can, note that you do not have a lot of bad personal habits (hopefully you do not have any bad habits) such as excessive smoking or drinking.

I run and swim on my free time. I put this as personal interests on the bottom of my resume. Besides communicating that I am in good health, it shows I am well rounded. If you have a sport such as playing tennis or running, add that to your resume to show you are physically active and in good health.

Usually, you add personal interests to the bottom of a resume as the last item. If you are not physically active, you may want to consider taking up an activity you to enjoy to become physically active. Not only will physical activity relieve stress, it will prolong your life.

I hope this was helpful, and thank you for your service.

Jeff Shoemaker ⋅ Lake In The Hills, IL Colorado Technical University ⋅ 20 years experience

Sal, I'm sure you are already doing this but to combat your age concern make working with military friendly employers a priority. Locate the manager of the veteran hiring program and contact them to expand your network. Also reach out to any Recruiters from these companies you met on base. Age very could be a hindering factor but out it behind you. Pursue industries where age probably isn't a big concern such not for profits. Lastly if you haven't already put this question on LinkedIn and if anyone responds reach out to them for more career advice and guidance
Jeff

Sal Dominianni ⋅ Grovetown, GA U.S. Army, Master Sergeant ⋅ 28 years served

Thank you so much for everyone's comment and advice ! Yes I have made some progress, I interviewed with 2 companies and two offers I believe will be coming forth this week , I did what you all suggested about being myself and they both went well . Thank you so much again for all of your assistance and encouragement .

Roddney Hackstall ⋅ Greensboro, NC Canopy Partners ⋅ 20 years experience

Hey Sal,

Just curious to see if you have made any progress with your search?

Roddney

Patrick Haughey ⋅ Gibsonia, PA UPMC WorkPartners ⋅ 40 years experience

After 28 years served in the military, you have a lot to offer potential employers. My suggestion would be to accentuate your accomplishments in the military (i.e. what did you do in the Army that 1) relates to the position you're interviewing for, and 2) how did it benefit the Army that will also benefit the potential employer. If the position description does not indicate the experience level of the candidate they're seeking, then age should not be a factor.

Joe Pierce ⋅ Jonesboro, AR Husqvarna Outdoor Products ⋅ 30 years experience

In HR, a second language is an asset. Get feedback from some of your interviews that did not pan our. Doesn't hurt to ask

Jim Schreier ⋅ Milwaukee, WI 212 Leadership/Career Coaching ⋅ 50 years experience

I completely support the answers here that are focusing on the answers you're presenting in the interviews. There's also the simple reality today that organizations today have more candidates than openings and many people don't get jobs simply because of the competition.

Practice, practice, practice is the key to successful interviewing. You also need to make sure your resume is strong. The questions you're being asked in the interview may be driven by your resume.

T D ⋅ Dayton, OH Self Employed ⋅ 25 years experience

Hey Sal,

It's tough, man. Most importantly, be yourself in every interview. Remember that those in the military make up about 1% of the population and vets make up a few more percent. You're going up against a much larger population for jobs now so it can get grueling as you interview with many companies. That was the biggest shock for me - almost never being turned down for jobs in the military and then making it through various rounds of interviews, with multiple companies in the civilian sector, only to not be selected for those positions (after being told multiple times I was a "perfect fit").

Also, your age shouldn't be a factor with regard to whether you are, or aren't, selected for a job. And last, make sure you can translate military jargon effectively.

Feel free to send me a message offline if you want to chat at all.

Have a good one!
Tom

George Wilhelmsen ⋅ Rochelle, IL Sargent & Lundy ⋅ 38 years experience

Good morning Sal!

Your age shouldn't matter. It should be your experience that is the key. Most employers (at least the smart ones) will invest in you because of your experience, which is critical to your success.

I can't disagree with the other respondent's suggestion. With that said, I'd like to ask you about the questions the interviewers are asking, and what you provided as an answer. That may be more of the challenge - are you answering the questions in a manner which shows your experience?

The private sector is different from the military as you know. What may have been a good answer in uniform, may not be as good out of uniform.

I'm a Targeted Selection qualified interviewer. That process uses behavior based questions, since we believe that past performance will equate to future results. I have seen people with excellent performance perform poorly in an interview, because of the way they answer questions.

If you can recall one or two questions, and your answers, please send them my way. Perhaps I can suggest ways where your answers would better resonate with the interviewers with a few tweaks and adjustments.

I look forward to working with you, and to your response.

George Wilhelmsen

Sal Dominianni ⋅ Grovetown, GA U.S. Army, Master Sergeant ⋅ 28 years served

Thank You Jeff will do !