Within the context of the North American workforce, age discrimination or ageism exists at varying degrees; although usually displayed in subtle fashion, the notion of employers preferring younger workers over those over 50 is somewhat intuitive and practical. Arguably, we see this phenomenon spilling over into the hiring process as well, which brings us to the purpose of this article, to outline some Resume-writing tips for “older” job candidates in attempt to counteract ageism.
You might be wondering why one would even bother with all of these strategies if the employer is in fact age-discriminatory, and is going to simply dismiss older candidates after meeting them during the interview phase. The goal of these strategies is to level the playing field amongst all candidates as much as possible during the Resume-review stage such that competitive advantages are gained based only on qualifications and relevant experiences as far as possible. The candidate would then need to stand out during the interview phase and demonstrate, amongst other aspects, how their wealth of experience trumps youth. Let’s get to the Resume-writing tips:
- 1. Do not leave out any employment dates
By current HR standards, Resumes generally have employment experiences listed in chronological order, with the most recent experiences appearing first, along with corresponding dates of employment. You should never deviate from this; removing employment dates in attempt to disguise your age will likely draw more attention and may even lead to the prospective employer removing your Resume from consideration right off the bat.
Hiring managers are looking for employment dates so be sure to include those; depending on your individual circumstances, leaving out months and only referencing years could prove beneficial when the job seeker has at least one employment period that was fairly short.
- 2. Quality over quantity; avoid referencing employment experiences from over 10-15 years ago
Further to the previous bullet point, another strategy to draw less attention to your age is to only reference job experiences from the last 10-15 years. This is, of course, assuming you have, in recent years, been accumulating employment experiences relevant to the job in question. If you have a job experience from over 10-15 years ago that you think will be extremely beneficial for your application, run it by a second pair of eyes to see if they are in agreement. You could consider showing this experience under a Project Experiences section.
On the other hand, where possible, place significant emphasis on your employment experiences over the last 10-15 years. Draw inferences between the requirements of the prospective job posting and your recent jobs.
- 3. You may leave out dates in your Education section
Unlike the Professional Experiences section, it is acceptable to leave out dates pertaining to your degrees, certifications, unfinished programs, etc. If you are 50 or older, depending on your career field and depth of educational achievements, t may be beneficial to list these by order of importance/relevance to the job posting (most important or relevant degree/diploma/designation etc placed at the top). Do the same in your LinkedIn profile.
- 4. Place heavy emphasis on technical skills
A stereotype within the current labour market is that mature workers aren’t as IT savvy as their younger counterparts (not as good with advanced Excel skills, picking up new software skills, performing IT processes with efficiency and accuracy). If the job you are applying to calls for such skillsets, make sure you place heavy emphasis on them throughout the Resume, including the Career Summary, Skills and individual Employment Experiences sections. Of course, this is assuming that you actually possess such strong technical skills.
If you are not as technically strong, start working on improving immediately. In order to remain competitive, pursue every opportunity available to utilize technology and learn new skills within your current job, even if it means putting in extra time and effort.
For a complimentary assessment of your qualifications and career path, contact me at jonathanseah.87@gmail.com.