Look Like That Young Employee — Here's How

Older Employees Can Appear Younger With 'Impression Magagement'

They say "With age comes wisdom."

Yet, these days, few people aspire to look aged.

Aside from teenagers looking to get into an over-21 nightclub, the rest of us probably want to look our age or younger.

Anti-aging products are big business  whether natural, cosmetic, or surgical.

But according to research, you may appear younger through strategic self-presentation.

Not Acting Your Age

Children are often reminded to act their age when they are misbehaving.

Adults might be well advised to not act their age when trying to compete with younger prospects — especially in the job market.

Irina Gioaba and Franciska Krings (2017) examined how proactive impression management in a job interview setting can impact age discrimination.

They note the importance of such research in light of the increasingly aging population that exists in most industrialized societies, along with a current workforce that is age-diverse.

They sought to study how impression management could be used to debunk common stereotypes of older workers in a job interview setting.

Using a sample of 515 undergraduates, they found that older applicants who utilized impression management techniques to contradict frequently held stereotypes of older workers were viewed as more hirable than those who did not use such techniques.

They also found, however, that even with this demonstrated positive effect, discrimination persisted. Older job applicants were rated as less hirable than younger counterparts when displaying the same impression management behavior.

Gioaba and Krings (ibid.) conclude that their research demonstrates that older job seekers can decrease perceived bias during their interviews through proactively managing their impression to refute common age-based stereotypes, but acknowledge this strategy is insufficient to overcoming age discrimination entirely.

Discrimination Amidst Demographic Diversity

In explaining the prevalence of age discrimination, Gioaba and Krings (supra) note that stereotypes and prejudices about older workers are to blame, including negative beliefs about ability, competence, and efficiency.

Older employees are often perceived as being slower, less competent, less flexible, as well as less trainable and adaptable than younger employees.

Although most of these perceptions are not true, such stereotypes can undercut the success of older individuals’ attempts to find a job.

You Are as Young as You Feel

Gioaba and Krings (supra)cite prior research (Bendick et al., 1997) which demonstrated how during resume review by 775 firms and employment agencies, in one of the conditions, the older applicant successfully contradicted ageist stereotypes by including in his letter that he is "energetic," adaptable to the latest technology and committed to my career."

Although results showed that discrimination against this older applicant was not completely eradicated, it was reduced by about 50%.

Combining Tactics

Gioaba and Krings (supra) opine that self-focused strategies paired with other-focused strategies such as ingratiation and opinion conformity may increase perceptions of competence and fit.

They acknowledge that non-verbal behaviors such as good eye contact, nodding, and smiling have also been consistently associated with higher evaluations in an interview setting, suggesting that verbal social-identity-based impression management strategies may only be effective in eradicating discrimination when combined with non-verbal tactics that stimulate likability.

The ability to remain teachable and flexible remains a desirable job quality with every passing year, as older adults are re-entering the workforce, or deciding to work longer, especially with more teleworking options available.

Research reveals that the well-loved adage that we are "only as old as we feel" may apply to all of us — both personally and professionally.

The preceding article was originally published in Psychology Today, and is used with the permission of its author.

Wendy L. Patrick, JD, MDiv, Ph.D., is an award-winning career trial attorney and media commentator. She is host of "Live with Dr. Wendy" on KCBQ, and a daily guest on other media outlets, delivering a lively mix of flash, substance, and style. Read Dr. Wendy L. Patrick's Reports — More Here.