At first glance, the trend seems to be moving in the right direction. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the workforce participation rate of “older workers” is increasing. In 1985, the percentage of unemployed workers 55 and older was 4.1 percent; in 2005, the rate dropped to 3.4 percent, an improvement of almost 20 percent.

Despite that good news, however, older workers are still drawing the short stick when it comes to finding a new or better job. Why? Because the percentages are being applied to a much larger population—there are more “older” people in the workforce than ever before. Therefore, while the Unemployment rate declined, the number of people looking for work actually went up. In 1985, there were 466,000 workers who were 55 and older and unemployed. In 2005, there were 634,000 unemployed workers in that age group. That’s an increase of almost 40percent!

What’s causing this situation? It isn’t a lack of jobs. Ask almost any employer today, and they will tell you they are waging a War for Talent. They cannot find the skilled workers they need to fill their openings. If that’s so and there are 634,000 unemployed workers who are 55 and older, one can only conclude that ageism — discrimination based on the age of a person — is still alive and kicking in the workplace.

Indeed, research shows that bias against candidates because of their age begins as early as the 45-year mark. Sometimes it’s conscious and blatant, and therefore, susceptible to correction through action by the U.S. Government’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. More often, however, it’s subconscious and/or subtle and, as a consequence, much harder to identify and eliminate.

How can you protect yourself from ageism? Unfortunately, there’s no foolproof way to eliminate such bias, but the following four steps can provide an important measure of protection.

Step 1. Be at the state-of-the-art in your profession, craft or trade. That state is not the same as having lots of experience or time on-the-job. In today’s increasingly technological workplace, being up-to-date means having both the latest knowledge and skills in your field and the wisdom and insight to apply those skills effectively in the workplace. Whether you have a work record of 3 years or 33 years, whether you are an entry level employee or a senior manager, continuous knowledge acquisition is now a part your job and essential to average, let alone superior, performance.

Step 2. Maximize the employer’s return on its investment in you. Competing for a new position is not an exercise in describing your skills and experience; it’s a contest to convince an employer that you will make a more valuable contribution to its success than other candidates. Figure out what the employer expects from the job and then convince the recruiter and hiring manager that you can and will provide it. The key is not proving that you can do a job, but instead, proving that you can produce the results the employer needs and do so on time, within budget, and to the highest standard of quality.

Step 3. Work beyond your position description. Those who establish a track record of seeing their role larger rather than smaller in an organization—those who are flexible and creative enough to work outside the box of traditional job definitions—give themselves a significant competitive advantage in the job market. Why? Because all organizations today are struggling to control labor costs, so they are looking for employees who are able and willing to contribute more than “their fair share” of the work. If you have pitched in for an absent coworker, volunteered for special projects or mentored less experienced colleagues, make sure those contributions are highlighted on your resume. And if you haven’t done those things, now’s the time to start.

Step 4. Look and be physically fit for your age. When a youthful person is out of shape, they’re simply viewed as lazy; when an older person is unfit, they’re pigeonholed as worn out. That doesn’t mean that you have to compete on the company softball team or pump iron in the gym after work, but it does mean that you have to be healthy enough to meet all performance requirements of your position—whether that involves physical capacity or simply the stamina to show up every day and work late or on weekends to finish a special assignment. It may or may not be right, but physical fitness is a key component of career fitness in the American workplace, and “older workers” don’t get a pass.

It’s not uncommon for those who experience ageism to invest a lot of emotional energy in the frustration and anger it stimulates. Such bias is not supposed to exist, so this reaction is understandable. It also compounds the damage, however, because those emotions will not protect you from future incidents of bias in the job market or the workplace. To do that, invest your energy and your talent elsewhere. Put your heart and your head into steps that will strengthen your appeal to employers. Co-opt ageism by working around it.