Are You Describing Your Value In The Best Way?

It’s a tough time for older job seekers.

We once interviewed an experienced, gray-haired candidate for a sales director role.

It was a no – not because of age but because their responses didn’t match the level of career maturity the role needed.

It got me thinking about how careers evolve, and what employers expect at different statges.

1. Early career: It’s a job

Your first roles are about learning, working hard and doing what you’re asked.

You build capability.

You’ve shown you deliver.

You’re a safe pair of hands.

The reward for good work is more work – and more importantly, responsibililty.

Now you’re not just doing the work, you’re shaping how it’s done.

You sell ideas upwards.

You say, “Here’s what needs doing, and why.”

You recognize patterns – using knowledge and experience gained over decades.

You know what’s coming next, what needs to happen and what’s stopping us from getting better.

Your value is helping stakeholders in the organisation align, improve and move forward.

That salesperson we met?

We wanted level 4 vision – how they’d transform our go-to-market, upskill the team, build strategy.

What we got were Level 1 answers: “I’ll do anything you need me to do.”

I don’t think every rejection is about age.

Sometimes it’s because the way we describe the value we bring hasn’t matured as we have.