I look young for my age. It seems I always have. Or at least I never have appearance older, no matter how old you are Really get. While it’s nice to see that my parents’ advice to respect the sun has paid off (so far), it has often been difficult for my career.
It’s perhaps telling that when I sit down with new work acquaintances and they ask me when I graduated, I have to tell them that I graduated not just once, but three times from post-secondary institutions. I also had a 7-year career in a corporate environment; I spent two years as an archaeologist (after graduating with a degree); and another two years as a teacher (after graduation). There were also a couple of years there where I didn’t work at all, but enjoyed traveling full time. They look at me in amazement, the same comment on all their lips, “But you don’t look that old!” To which I always reply: ‘Thank you!’ It is all I can do.
For those who have a history of experience as long as mine and still look young, or for those who are genuinely young and new to their jobs, here are some tips to help combat this ‘problem’.
Play with your youth
You may have been hired because you bring new ideas and insights to your role, so play around with that. Express new ideas with the preface ‘From my perspective’ or ‘Speaking for my generation’. You can get your team to sit down and listen to your thoughts if they are inconsistent with yours, in a good way.
tackle it head-on
Talk early about your experience, but not about your age, and then let it go. Explain his story in such a way that it seems like she has already lived a long time, even if she hasn’t. Don’t say how long you’ve been in each position, but overwhelm them a bit with the list of positions you’ve held and your education. The hint that even though you look young, you have a long life behind you.
Dress and behave appropriately
While I’m not a fan of telling people to dress outside of their comfort zone, if you dress too ‘young’ for your role, you open yourself up to scrutiny. If dressing in bright colors is your style, stick with that, but update your look to be appropriate for the job you’re doing. This is especially true if you work in a corporate environment.
Forge a style, both in dress and attitude, that is uniquely yours, without compromising your position. I often think of Drew Barrymore in this regard. He dresses in nice clothes, rarely shows cleavage or too much leg, and always looks very boyish, even though he’s almost 40 years old. However, he speaks eloquently and chooses parts that fit his real age, never younger.
It’s tempting to tell everyone your age, either to highlight that you’re older than people think or to highlight the fact that you fit into a certain demographic, but I’d refrain. Talk about the experience you have and let them wonder how old you really are.