By Kent Johnson

Many older workers who are looking to make a career change believe that they’re at a disadvantage when it comes to seeking a new job or career. While it’s true that younger workers are often sought after by employers, for several reasons, that doesn’t mean that workers over 50 should give up on their career dreams and aspirations.

Unfortunately, for some employers, “older” workers mean trouble. At least that’s the perception, even among older employers and personnel managers. They believe that workers over 50 will have more health problems, or will not be able to handle learning a new job, or will make more mistakes and miss more work days. Some also believe that older workers are often overqualified for the job, and will seek a higher salary than their younger counterparts.

While these are legitimate concerns for employers, they usually more than offset by the skills, knowledge and experience that an older worker brings to the job. Experienced workers often have an impressive amount of wisdom and perspective that younger workers simply can’t match. And older workers are sometimes more dependable than younger workers -- they can be more willing to follow directions and complain less, and they’re usually not distracted by the demands of starting a family or dating.

As the large Baby Boom generation ages past 50, more and more older workers are going to be working longer, and seeking new job and career opportunities. With the advances in health care and healthy living, a man or woman in good health today can expect to live to be 76 years old. And many of these people will still be sharp and productive well into their 70s and 80s.

So if you are a worker over 50, and on the job market, one of the things you want to do is leverage your experience. This can be one of your major advantages, and experience is one thing that can’t be bought or learned out of a college textbook. Some workers are afraid to put everything on their resume for fear of appearing too old, or “over the hill” in the eyes of an employer.

The first step is to write down all of the skills, knowledge and experience that you've gained over the years in your career, no matter how small. What have you learned as a manager? As a worker? What unique ideas or insights have you come up with concerning your job or career? What contributions have you made to your current or former employers?  Circle the top 10 from this list and include it in your resume.

Then, you should use your resume to your advantage. If you have college degrees, list them, but don’t give the date when they were awarded. You only need to go back 15 or 20 years when listing past jobs, and it’s best to only include experience that pertains to the job you’re seeking.

Another tip is to seek out openings at smaller companies. Smaller firms can be more flexible in their hiring guidelines, and tend to be more open to hiring older workers. Your skills and experience may be more valuable here than in a larger corporation.

Always be upbeat and positive during a job interview. When the opportunity arises, point out your experience and positive attributes. Be sure to tell the interviewer about your past accomplishments. Project an air of energy and youthfulness, and make it clear that you intend to work for the company for a long time.

And lastly, don’t give up, or become discouraged as and older worker seeking a new job or career. It may take a little longer, but the opportunities are out there. Just be patient, have a solid game plan, and seek out the employers that put a high value on your valuable wisdom and experience.

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