Small Budget, Big Style posted earlier this month about age bias. She has difficultly being taken seriously at work because she looks young. Looking young can be a serious handicap at work. Those of you rolling your eyes and snorting at the thought of having such a “terrible” problem should imagine these scenarios:

You make a cold call at a place of business, and you’re asked “How can I help you, young lady?”

You’re stopped in the hallway by someone in upper management, and asked where your parents are.

A coworker asks “How old ARE you? You look 12.” and then tells you you should be grateful that you look so young.

You’re told that you won’t be considered for an internal promotion if you apply, because you’re too young and inexperienced. When you apply anyway, you don’t get the job, even though you have more experience and education than the other applicants (who are about your same age), you dress and act professionally, your customers love you, and you’re consistently beating everyone else’s numbers.

People ask if you had your high-school aged child when you were 13 — and they’re not really joking.

These kinds of things are problematic because they negatively impact salary and career prospects. Who takes a 12 year old seriously as a salesperson? Who thinks that someone that gets pregnant at 13 should be given a lot of responsibility now? Who can advance within the company if they’re thought of as someone’s kid? Who can be respected if they look like they’re playing dress-up?

I’ll just say it. Looks really do matter, at least at first.

So what can you do if you look too young? Trying to look older is a given. You’re probably already dressing “older” and professionally, wearing conservative hairstyles, etc. Here are some additional things that I’ve found helpful:

Be an outstanding employee. Volunteer for extra projects, get your work done ahead of schedule, and exceed expectations whenever possible. This isn’t always enough, but it can help.

Get to know people with the ability to promote you and find something in common with them. Try to help them. Networking helps everyone.

Talk about stuff that happened in the past. (Oh yeah, I remember back in the 70s…) This only helps though if you are CERTAIN the people you’re talking to are around same age as you.

Work at a progressive place that welcomes new ideas and believes that youth is an advantage.

Work at a place where most of the other employees are 10-20 years younger than you, and then do not make references to things that happened before they were born.

make references to things that happened before they were born. Be flexible and easy-going about age-related things. When you’re stopped in the hallway and asked about your mom or dad, try to put the other person at ease instead of letting it turn into an awkward situation.

Be confident and positive. Those are traits that everyone appreciates, and they help build respect.

Speak clearly, and audibly. Consider Toastmasters or learning about voice projection if you have difficulty speaking in meetings or being heard.

Don’t get hung up on how people perceive you. Yes, you will want to scream if one more person says you’ll appreciate it when you’re older. Yes, it is a problem at times. But it’s not an insurmountable problem.

Remember that people WILL eventually respect you for who you are, regardless of your age or appearance. It’s just a matter of helping them get to know the real you — the one who is confident, capable, and has the company’s interests at heart.