Baby Boomers: Job Interview Questions and Responses

Many baby boomers seeking employment after years of not working or working elsewhere go through job interviews where there can be questions from employers, or others. How a baby boomer responds, appropriately or inappropriately, may be the determining factor in hiring. Appropriate responses are more likely to lead to hiring. Note that humor in conjunction with inappropriate responses reinforces the necessity for appropriate responses.    

Consider the following example:

As a baby boomer, you applied for a job and received a telephone call from a potential employer asking you to come in for an interview. You agreed to do so, but all of a sudden, you are starting to experience a twinge of nervousness and uncertainty about the pending interview. What ever happened to all of your courage? Perhaps you had a lot more confidence when you applied for your first job at age 16. If you went to the grocery store or the doctor’s office, you might feel more confident than you do now. Why is this any different? 

"You took early retirement, as a baby boomer," a receptionist comments. "Wonderful!"

You just stand there.

"Now what?" she thinks, wondering why you are not saying anything.    

You could have said, “Thank you.”

Courtesy is always in order, even if you are stunned.

The following is a general overview of the kinds of questions that a potential employer might ask you.

Your interviewer proves to be a man who you have never met.

"Hello! My name is Joe. How are you today?"

"I am absolutely terrified! Oops, I did not really mean to say that. I think I will be ok, after I get out of here! I really did not want to come in today, at all! I had to take my dog to the vet. He is waiting in the car. I wonder if I opened the car window."

This exactly what you are not going to say even though this may be how you feel.

Instead, smile, stand up and offer to shake your potential employer's hand. After all, he is considering you as a possible employee and treating you with respect, so use this response instead.

"I am wonderful, thank you. My name is Brenda. How are you today?"

Here is an opening statement your employer may make. He has to start the conversation somewhere.

"You saw our job advertisement in the paper?"

"I did and it scares the hell out of me, because I have lost all of my confidence and I don't think that I can do it. I am too old to work anymore. Don't you know that I am a baby boomer?"

This is another answer that you are not going to give, even though this is what you are thinking or feeling. Remember that first impressions are extremely important. Respond this way, instead.

"Yes, I did see that advertisement and decided to apply for it because it looks like an excellent job opportunity for me."

Now the employer moves on to his next question. 

"May I ask why you applied here, at this time?"

"That is a really frightening question. Well, let me see. My previous employer told me I was getting too old to stay on my other job, about ten years ago but I stayed there anyhow. Now they have forced me to take an early retirement, just because I asked for some time to take a nap, every afternoon."

This is exactly what the potential employer does not want to hear from a baby boomer, even if this actually happened to you. For some, it is all right to take an early retirement. In fact, many baby boomers are doing just that, for one reason or another. You do have other possible answers that you can give, like this one.

"I have been building my literary profile recently. Research is one field that I would like to develop further, as it has always been a very interesting area of inquiry to me."

Your employer continues, now asking you this question.

"Are you seeking full or part-time employment?"

"Let's see. I do not really know what I want. I have to go my swimming club meeting on Wednesdays, so I do not work that day. Fridays are out too, because my children come to visit me then. I hate getting up on Monday morning. Tuesday evenings, I am always busy, as I go shopping with the girls. What do you think I should do?"

By now, your prospective employer knows that you are not about to work full time and in fact, you do not really know what hours you do want to work. He or she is not about to make that decision for you.

Try this response instead.

"I am seeking full time work, but I am willing to consider part-time employment. How many hours per week are you offering?"

Here is another important question that he may ask.

"Are you available to work on weekends?"

"Work on weekends? I absolutely do not work on weekends, as that is absurd. I go to the cottage up north every weekend, with my poodle, Tiger. The poor dear is fifteen years old and we have gone there for the last fifteen years. Do you have a poodle, too? My last dog lived to be eighteen years old. He wandered out into the street and got hit by a car!"

Obviously, for your employer, this is not an appropriate response. If going to work on this job entails working weekends, you might have just closed the door. Note that your employer probably does not want to disclose his or her personal information to you. Neither does he want to know about your weekend cottage visits, your dog or your other dog, how he died, etc.

You can respond differently by simply asking a question.

"How many weekends a month would you like me to work?"

Here is another typical employer statement, in a job interview.

"Tell me about your previous job and your reason for leaving."

"I really don't want to answer that question. (Sobbing) No, I will not tell you about this. It was a horrible job and I had a bad experience. My boss fired me because..."

Now, your potential employer is getting uncomfortable. He or she does not know whether to hug you and send you packing immediately.

There are better answers, like this one.

"My previous job was a wonderful experience for me, as I had an opportunity to advance my literary career. I learned new job skills that may be beneficial to your company. I have come to know some fantastic people, too."

Then, there is always this question from a prospective employer, 

"What are your salary expectations?"

"I don't think that I am worth what you are offering in the paper. I forget what that was. Maybe around $3000.00 dollars per month, but I do not know what this kind of work is worth. I have never really looked into it. Maybe I am asking for too much?"

Can you see what you just did? You may have turned down what could have been an excellent salary or one that could be higher than your expectations. You put yourself down, as well. Did you really need to do that?

Here is a more appropriate response.

"What you are offering as a monthly salary appears to be appropriate for this particular job description. Do you offer a benefit package, as well?"

Employers love to ask this question.

"Why should I hire you?'

"I don't think you should hire me, because somebody younger can probably do a much better job than I can. I am so dumb! The kids nowadays are so much smarter than we were at that age. They have all of the advantages that we have never had. Most of them do not appreciate them either. Don't you agree?"

At this point and with that response, do not expect to this employer to hire you. You have shown your prospective employer that you really do not feel that you are able to do this kind of work. He or she will likely find someone younger.

Give this kind of an answer instead.

"My literary project was on a research topic, one that might be of benefit to your company. It contains projections for the future. Would you be interested in reading my latest article? It is posted on my web site."

Once you have passed this interview, a second interview may be in order.

"Would you be willing to come in for a second interview, with the rest of my management team?"

"Absolutely not, either you hire me today, or go find someone else! Do you think that I have nothing else to do with my time and energy? Who is going to pay for the gas I need for my car to drive all this way, again? I am so busy. I have to cut my grass too."

Employers do not appreciate this kind of an attitude. Many jobs require several interviews by different levels of management. Remember that the other part of the management team, might recommend that this person hire you. Ultimatums tend to end negotiations immediately. By the way, if you do not demonstrate some degree of flexibility, why would any employer want to hire you?

Here is a better answer.

"Certainly, I would me more than happy to meet with the rest of your management team. In fact, I am looking forward to it. Do you have a particular date and time, in mind?"

After this question, it may be your turn to ask questions that you have, so prepare them ahead of time.

"Do you have any questions that you would like to ask me?"

"Questions, why did you have to ask me that? Of course, I do not have any questions as I have not had a chance to think about this, at all. Are your really dumb, or what?"

Now, you have shown your prospective employer that you came to this interview unprepared. Had you done some research on the job, you might have had several, excellent questions you could have asked him. You might also have opened a new area of interest to discuss with your new employer. By the way, you just insulted your employer too, so the door is there for you.

This works better.

"Yes, I do. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to ask you some questions. When I was researching this particular role in your company, I realized that it included freelance writing projects, with possible travel options. May we discuss those in the future? I love to travel and write too."

Your employer is now summing up the interview.

"I have several other interviews to do today. Then I plan to contact everyone who I want to introduce to our management team either by telephone, or by e-mail. Do you have an e-mail address and an answering machine? By the way, if you don't hear from us immediately, you will know that we are still busy doing interviews."

"That figures, no I don't have e-mail. What is e-mail anyhow? I am a dinosaur, when it comes to computers. I never use those things. They are only for kids who play silly video games. I disconnected my telephone and my answering machine a long time ago because I got fed up with all of those stupid telemarketing calls, all the time."

If you respond this way, how do you expect this employer to contact you? Do you think that he or she is hiring dinosaurs? Do you really expect him to hire anyone who talks to him like that, probably not! Maybe you did not really want this particular job and it is time to do some upgrading in computer skills?

This response is far more appropriate.

"I have included my e-mail address and website address in the cover letter of my resume, along with my literary portfolio. I think that you might enjoy browsing through it. I have an answering machine with this telephone number and my fax number is included, too. By the way, I am willing to upgrade my computer skills at any time. I will be expecting to hear from you."

Your interview is over and you survived it!

"I will be in touch with you, in the near future. Thank you for coming in."

"Whew! Am I ever glad this is over! I really need a smoke. I can hardly wait to get out of here and go to the casino. I am meeting a whole bunch of my baby boomer friends, for lunch. We going to have a few drinks and play the slot machines, for a few hours."

Did you forget to thank this potential employer for interviewing you? Do you think that any employer needs, or wants to hire someone who did not remember to say thank you? He probably does not want someone who has a smoking, drinking and gambling addiction either. 

Obviously, you did not enjoy this interview and your potential employer has probably not enjoyed it either. Maybe he or she has already shredded your resume.

Close your interview in a more professional manner.

"Thank you for taking the time to interview me. I appreciate it. I realize that your time is valuable. I will be waiting to hear from you. Thanks again!"

Offer to shake his hand as you say goodbye.  

These are only a few of the potential questions and answers for baby boomers seeking employment. If you have reasonable qualifications and respond to questions in professional manner, you will get an invitation to come in for a second interview and more than likely, you can expect to have a new job in an appropriate position.

Congratulations on succeeding with your first interview, and getting a new job, baby boomer!