Dear J.T. & Dale: I spent in the neighborhood of 16 years in the fields of electronics and metrology (not meteorology). During this time, I filled several administrative posts while still being a technician. A couple of years ago, I decided to change careers to focus on my administrative skills (especially Microsoft Office Suite, design and photography). It’s been an uphill battle ever since. I know I cannot prove age discrimination, and my actual typing speed has diminished since my arthritis has developed, BUT WHAT THE TARNATION CAN I DO??? — Bill

Dale: Ah, Bill, I wish you could have seen J.T.’s face upon encountering the word “tarnation.” She’s younger than you or I, and using such a word is the verbal equivalent of showing up for an interview wearing spats. Which might suggest the problem: It’s not enough to keep your skills updated, your appearance and language likewise must be refreshed. No, I’m not talking about tats or earrings or wearing a ballcap sideways; find some of your contemporaries who look … well, contemporary, and emulate them. You don’t have to pretend to be 20, but you have to look like someone who pays attention to what’s going on in the culture. And simultaneously, you can start to work on developing a “skills image” to go along with the personal image.

J.T.: Yes, we live in a society that pays for performance. Meanwhile, the definition of performance changes with time. You’ve just got to work with what you’ve got and keep trying to find your niche. I suggest you look at your strengths. So your typing isn’t as fast as others, but what administrative skills do you knock out of the park? It’s important to promote your specialty and find employers who will be wowed by what you CAN do.

Dale: Some people do a “strengths inventory” and walk away wow-less and discouraged. If that happens to you, then consider finding something new for your specialty — in your case, it might be becoming expert with voice-recognition software, thus allowing your typing speed to be exceptional despite your physical limitations. Or, perhaps you find something outside the normal skill set — it could be that you’ve raised your family, and thus you’re in a position to work weekends. For some employers, that’s “wow.”

J.T.: You figure out what makes you unique and market it. Your maturity offers you options for uniqueness — for example, your background in electronics gives you a vocabulary that might be valuable to the right employer. You’re not getting younger, but if you do it right, you’re getting smarter, and that needs to extend to your job hunting.