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“I’m 60 years old. I can’t get a job because I’m too old.”

“I’m just out of college. I can’t get a job because I don’t have experience.”

“I’ve got 25 years of experience. I can’t get hired because I know too much.”

“I’m just out of high school. I can’t get hired because nobody thinks I know anything.”

“I can’t get a job because I don’t have any references.”

“I can’t get a job because I have bad references.”

Excuses are the chewy nougat center of a bad idea. Put them away before you swallow too many and get hooked.

If you want a job, come up with compelling reasons someone should hire you. For example, if you’re 60, you have experience and the wisdom that goes with it. You can work with all kinds of employees and customers because you’ve either walked in their shoes or know someone who has. You can work flexible hours because no children are at home demanding you can’t. You can learn new ways of doing things because you’ve been learning new things throughout your career.

If you’re just out of college and don’t have experience, you’re open to whatever is new. You’re teachable because you’re curious. You ask questions to gain knowledge, not to debate, and you know there’s more to learn than you can possibly already know.

If you have 25 years of work experience, you have 25 years of life experience. You’ve learned how to succeed, to fail, to change, to lead others through change, to come back and to succeed again. You’ve been through ups and downs and you’ve survived them all with your optimism and drive intact. You can take orders and give them, and work on teams and lead them. You’ve worked for people older and younger than you, wiser and more naïve, hands-on and hands-off, and through it all you’ve learned new systems, strategies, management styles and personalities. You can learn, mentor, manage, teach, lead and follow.

If you’re just out of high school, you have more energy, agility, access to and ease with technology than most people senior to you. What you’ll need to prove is your ability and desire to listen and learn new information, apply what you’re taught, anticipate consequences and manage risk. You’ll need to show you can relate to others, work with others, take direction and focus when what’s called for is patience, respect and humility.

If you can’t get a job because you don’t have references, find some. If you can’t find paid work, volunteer. And when you volunteer, do it right. If you start a job, finish it. If you make a promise, keep it. Be respectful of others’ time, space and energy, and in exchange you’ll get more than just references. You’ll get the best experience money can’t buy.

If you can’t get a job because of bad references, get better references. If you’re afraid of what your references might say, ask them. If you don’t like what you hear, change your attitude and change your behavior. With hard work, you’ll change their opinion.

Joyce Richman is a career coach and author. Read her blog at www.richmanresources.com and watch her latest career advice Wednesdays at 6:35 a.m. on WFMY News 2. Contact Richman at 288-1799 or JERichman@aol.com.