Does age affect how the portfolio careerist is perceived? Working for very different clients in a range of fields, I've come to consider this question lately because I've always looked young for my age.
I'm grateful now, of course, that in my thirties I'm still mistaken for a seventeen year old (I still get asked for ID when buying a bottle of wine from time to time) but at twenty being asked if I was over sixteen when filling up my car with petrol used to grate somewhat. Only a few years' ago I took a group of post-16 citizenship students to the Houses of Parliament to meet a Minister to talk about pensions. At first the Minister concerned mistook me for one of the students and asked me if I was thinking of taking out a pension when I started work. He was a little flummoxed when I politely and diplomatically informed him that I was the one who brought the students but that yes, I had started my pension eight years' ago. I have also had high profile speakers that I have invited to conferences mistaking me for my more junior counterparts - they are always all politeness when they realise their mistake and begin talking to me in an entirely different manner.
These experiences do not worry me in themselves, in fact they are quite entertaining but it concerns me that I might be mistaken for having less experience than I really do have, purely because of my good fortune in having a somewhat sprightly countenance. Clearly in the consultancy work I undertake, I don't want clients thinking I'm some young upstart charging for expertise I don't really have when, in fact, I do.
It must be an issue for those in full-time employment too; perhaps being overlooked for added responsibilities or taken less seriously than others whose more apparent age (and implied experience) is written in their more mature-looking faces. It may also have the reverse effect for those who looked older than their years. However, I wonder if it is more or less of an issue for the portfolio careerist? I think this depends largely on the nature of work that makes up your portfolio. Clearly in areas where you are established and known, colleagues already know your worth and are not swayed by superficial appearances but what of new and prospective clients? This is where marketing comes in; ensuring you are communicating your years of experience convincingly to make up for what appearances might otherwise suggest. On the other hand, it may be that in this world of e-communications how old I look is insignificant so long as my CV and website demonstrate my skills and experience effectively.
I'm at an age now where I only hope I'll continue to have the problem of mistaken age for as long as possible, so I won't lose any sleep over it.
Like you, I'm often mistaken for someone much younger than my years, although these days not as often as I used to be (three years in the Australian sun must be taking its toll on my formerly fresh countenance).
ReplyDeleteTwo unrelated anecdotes spring to mind as I read this.
First:
When they rolled out the anti-age discrimination laws in the UK in 2006, all the talk was about protecting jobs for people over the age of 50. I remember because I was in the UK at the time too, in my mid-twenties but much younger looking, trying to establish myself as a credible professional having recently established a freelance practice. I found it extremely difficult to be taken seriously by anyone over a certain age, although I had experience and expertise in my field.
So to counteract my spritely appearance, or more specifically, the perception that this appearance must mean I was less capable, I worked twice as hard to build credibility in other ways. I built a strong online presence (with some very guarded and stern-looking photos – since changed). I read and thought a lot about impact and how credibility and authority are perceived. I even took speaking lessons to learn how to modulate my voice so I wouldn't sound so “young”.
I'll admit that I've mellowed since then (just a bit :)), but maybe because I could afford to. My hard work started to pay off and I built a reputation for myself, which meant that I was judged on something other than the number of lines on my face. Now I feel lucky to be in a position to have achieved this for myself. As you say, I think those barriers may have been there had I stayed in a 9 to 5 job, but personally I'm not so sure that the opportunity to overcome them would have been.
Still, I often see that it seems to be OK in certain professional circles to dismiss people because of their age - only when it is deemed insufficiently high of course, in a way that would be completely unacceptable if it were the other way around. So I think you're right to consider age (or perceived age) as a factor when planning your approach to new clients. And I think you're right too that marketing plays a big role in counteracting any perceived shortcomings in this area.
And second:
>they are always all politeness when they realise their mistake and begin talking to me in an entirely different manner.
I had similar experiences when I was involved with youth groups, and it frustrated me no end. Why is it acceptable to be less polite, and to address to someone with less respect, simply because they look young? I mean, I know we joke about generation gaps and teenagers coming from another planet for a reason, but really, this lack of basic respect is very prevalent and very unfair. It's just one of the many reasons why I wouldn't want my teenage years back again - not for anything.
Great post, thank you.
I had another experience of this today. I was in Westminster, meeting with new clients. Discussing my Singaporean background, I was explaining that I was ashamed to admit I hadn’t been to see my aunts and cousins in Singapore since I was a teenager. The person, who I’m sure was just being complimentary, quipped ‘So when was that, yesterday?’ but I did of course begin wondering how old he really thought I was. I often find myself making references to my husband and how years it’s been since I worked in certain jobs to reassure people that I’m older than I look. It’s strange as in a few more years as the grey hairs become harder to conceal, I’m sure I’ll be only too happy to do this exact opposite!
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