UPFRONT Your age? Wrong question

While New Zealand employers don’t appear to be as ageist as some of their offshore counterparts, at least one third of respondents to recent Robert Half Finance and Accounting survey say their companies are still not addressing the issue of an ageing workforce either by hiring older people or retaining them longer.
Robert Half consultant Kim Smith says there is still an element of stigma that can prevent older candidates from maximising their potential but they can combat this by emphasising relevant experience – and not being too precise about the age thing.
Contrary to popular belief, there is no need to include your age on CV, says Smith. She advises that CV be punchy, concise (don’t track back more than decade and omit what’s not relevant to the job), and should include “soft” (people) as well as “hard” (task-oriented) skills.
Most employers believe older candidates have lot to offer and making yourself as marketable as possible means age is less likely to become an issue, says Smith.