My birthday is in November, and every year before the month ends I take stock of what the previous 12 months have brought.  Although each year is different from those before and almost certainly will be different from those to come, one absolute truth is that each November I am one year older.  Aging inevitably means changing, and neither our lives nor our careers escape the effects of aging. 

As we age, new career dilemmas appear, especially for those in career transition.  Should you stay the course or make a career change?  Should your resume specify position dates? If your resume omits dates are you shining a spotlight on your age?  How many years back should you list on your resume?  Should you lower your compensation expectations?  How candid should you be when asked those pesky questions about where you want to be in five years?

Had enough questions?  Well, it is complex, and I don’t have an all-purpose answer.  No one does.  But I am willing to once more jump into the fray and offer some food for thought. I choose to be pragmatic. I have been working for a long time, and I am confident that my contribution to an organization is more valuable today than yesterday… more valuable this year than last year, and more valuable in this decade than decades ago.  How do I know this?  The marketplace tells me so. While acknowledging that being young is glorious, I recognize that being older and wiser can be an advantage if we can identify the best fit organization, industry and culture. 

So I say with confidence that having a little gray hair does not mean the “little gray cells” (as Hercule Poirot often notes) are not firing on all cylinders.  Apologies for the mixed metaphor, but you get my meaning.  To stay with the reference… some of the most impressive muscle cars ever made have a good deal of age on them now, but their brands are stupendously strong, they command enormous value in the market and they deliver the goods as advertised with panache and enthusiasm.

Think about this:

• There are organizations which value wisdom and expertise honed over time.
• There are organizations which recognize that life experience and business savvy are worth paying for.
• There are organizations which search for senior leaders with gravitas and genuine vision.
• There are organizations which consider depth and breadth of knowledge, decision making ability and mentoring skills as significant assets.

To identify these organizations you must be willing to put in serious time and effort.  Just because you’ve been in the workforce for a while – OK, a long while – you cannot rest on your successes.  You must get to work finding these organizations and be prepared to work harder than the 35 year olds out there.   The key is to demonstrate energy and investment in the organization as much as you demonstrate your capabilities.  For managers and recruiters, hiring is as much about believing that you are committed to being fully engaged and that you have the drive to produce results, as it is believing that you have the skills required to do the job.  A perceived lack of skin in the game can trump skills and past achievements.  

And the gray hair, well that’s up to you.  Wear it proudly or try out some assorted colors.  Just remember that it is the gray cells and especially what you do with them that make the real difference.