Five Ways to Avoid Disclosing Your Age in an Interview

(MoneyWatch)  Judging by the questions we receive from the senior job seekers who read our content, age discrimination is top of mind for most candidates north of 40. Recently, we took their questions head on with a package titled "'How Old Are You?': Readers Tell Job Interview Tales."
Reporter Patty Orsini took job-seeker inquiries directly to recruiters, lawyers and hiring pros to find out how much candidates are required to disclose about their age and how best to avoid dating themselves in a non-confrontational way.

Here are five techniques to keep in mind:

Re-state the question. If an HR person asks for your high-school or college graduation dates, "say, 'I went to the University of X, and it was a very successful time for me,' " she said. "'I was a member of student government and worked at the campus radio station.' " You don't have to answer that question with dates, and that shouldn't keep you from being hired."

For online applications, give vague dates. While some online applications cannot be submitted unless all fields are completed, you might be able to generalize to a decade. If not, you might contact the company's HR department to point out the issue; it's contrary to fair-hiring laws, and it might be a part of the online application process of which HR is unaware.

Express concern with identity theft if photo ID or social-security numbers are requested. These are not items that need to be provided until you are hired.

Provide work history going back 20 years at most. Any more, and it can date you.

Be aware of questions that could lead you to reveal your age. These questions could be as innocent as, "Are you over the age of 18?" and, "What are your long-term career goals?" Be cautious about what the interviewer is really asking. An interviewer might leave a bit of silence after you answer; it doesn't mean you need to fill that silence with more detail.