FASHION : A Well-Dressed Look Helps Lift Age Barrier : Good grooming and the right clothes give older applicants a boost when looking for jobs.

We’ve talked recently about gearing up for a job interview. What to wear, how to comb your hair, whether to leave off the cologne, if midriffs should be covered. (They should be, if you missed last week’s remarks.)

But what about that other factor that many job seekers believe figures into the equation: your, uh, age. If your looks have already crested, so to speak, will the corporate world take you at face value? How much is a 50-year-old face worth, anyway?

What’s that got to do with fashion, you say? Read on.

“The world is young, thin and good-looking,” said Dixie Lee, who owns Center Stage Hair Design in Westlake Village. “You don’t have to like it; but if you’re not going to play by those rules, you’re not going to get that job.”

Lots of women come into her salon before facing job interviewers, Lee says. They seek counseling.

“They’re open, you know; they say, ‘How do I look, what should I do?’ (They’re) doing all they can to get that job.”

The first line of defense is hair color, according to Lee. “It’s bad enough being over 50 without having gray hair on top of it. I speak from experience.”

After color, stylists at Center Stage address hairstyles, makeup and even clothing. “If you’re in the wrong color tones, it’s very aging,” Lee said.

Her overall advice is sobering:

“If you think you’re going to keep your gray hair, be overweight and not stay in shape and not stay current with the clothes you wear--you’re going to be looking for a job for the next five years!”

So ingrained is the idea that employment goes to the young that some women, and men, go beyond grooming to improve their image. They head to the cosmetic surgeon’s office.

“They feel that interviewers really take youthful appearance into consideration. I do too,” said Dr. Brian Slywka, who has a surgery practice in Thousand Oaks.

Slywka says in the last five years that more patients mention employment concerns as the reason for seeking surgery, usually of the eyelids, face or neck.

A second surgeon, Dr. Louetta K. Westphal of Camarillo, said she has heard the same concerns from both sexes. Recently, more women have tied their desire for face-lifts with the need to compete for jobs.

“I think it’s a very legitimate concern because there have been numbers of studies that have shown that women who are attractive tend to get better jobs. And in our culture, youth is considered attractive,” she said.

For the more conservative job-seeker, there’s another factor operating in the job market. Or several, our sources said.

First, confidence counts. The older applicant with experience often has an edge, said Rita Gomberg, career resources specialist at Ventura College. “. . . unless you’re talking about the re-entry woman who hasn’t worked for 25 years and she has got a poor self-image.”

Besides, the older generation has a certain class.

“I find the older women more professionally dressed than the younger ones,” said Catherine Lawrence, director of Pyramid Placement in Ventura. “Some of them are real nifty . . . and they’re very current with their fashion and makeup. As long as a woman looks good and she’s got it together in her style--I have placed women in their 60s in secretarial jobs, and they are dynamite secretaries.”

Finally, not all age discrimination comes from appearance, anyway, said Chris Richards of Richards’ Consulting in Thousand Oaks. Some of it is fiscal.

“The 25-year-old sales rep you can hire for $25,000-$30,000 a year. The 45- to 50-year-old experienced rep has a house with a mortgage and children in college. He requires a salary of $60,000, $70,000 or $80,000. . . . For many companies, the bottom line is return on investment,” he said.

But a few companies realize that the 50-year-old employee is more likely to stick around 15 years than is the new college graduate, he said. And this could work in someone’s favor.

So, in the meantime, what should the mature job-seeker do to better his chances?

Easy. Get spiffed up. A haircut can’t hurt. Look confident, think wisdom and experience. Know where your strengths are. And, for good measure: keep those midriffs covered.