Creating a resume that avoids ageism is truly a challenge. How can you convey your depth of experience without listing your full work history? Should you omit your graduation date? While age discrimination may add a layer of complexity to the resume writing process, it isn’t impossible to master. In this blog post we will share our top resume tips for making effective resume tweaks for avoiding ageism.
Start by putting your resume on the back-burner
The most common question I get from 50-plus job searchers is: how to avoid ageism on the resume? There are all sorts of branding strategies we use when creating resumes for our 50-plus clients. However one of the best way to avoid ageism on your resume is to avoid using your resume altogether as the first point of contact. This may sound counter-intuitive and even crazy in today’s world of online job applications; but it’s true. The resume is only one selling tool in your job search toolkit. And when worries of ageism plague nearly every professional over the age of 50, why use the one tool that is the least effective for searchers at every age? The other reason I don’t like leading with the resume is that a seasoned resume reader, can pick up on your age easier than you might think. Most hiring managers know about the latest tricks and tactics for hiding age. And if they are ageist, a souped-up resume isn’t going to trick anyone.
Lead with your network and great personality instead
Therefore you want to leverage networking over your resume whenever possible. Don’t use your resume until you have to. If you’re always leading with your resume, you’re not going to be as effective as if you’re leveraging your network as well. So this is the first piece of resume advice I’ll offer: Start with networking. Only use the resume when it’s absolutely required. That said, there will be times where your resume is required. Use these tips to increase your chances of avoiding ageism:
Should you include your entire work history?
You should only go back 10 to 15 years in terms of your work experience. That’s all you need. Anything beyond that will look excessive and stale. It may also contribute to making you look old. Employers want to know what you can do for them TODAY based on what you have done RECENTLY. So your best bet is to keep it fresh by eliminating older information. If you have gaps in your experience due to taking time off, you will want to use this gap-filling resume strategy.
Should you omit your graduation date?
The resume graduation date is usually a sure giveaway of age. However it’s not necessary to include once you start to advance in experience. If you’ve been in the workforce over 10 years, omit your graduation year from the resume. This has become a best practice for senior professionals in recent years.
Header hacks that will help you appear more current
Your resume header provides a few opportunities to combat ageism. There are several small hacks you can use to appear more up with the times technologically speaking.
- First, I recommend updating your email provider so that you are not using outdated email services. This may seem like a very small thing but we’ve all been there. We get emails from folks using AOL, Earthlink, or other more obscure providers and we think of email pioneers and slow dial up internet connections. It’s a small thing, I realize, but it’s an age identifier nonetheless. You need to create the perception that you are up with the times so email addresses count. I recommend setting up a Gmail account and using that for career-related communications. Think of it as your “business” email if that helps prevent you from feeling overwhelmed by a full email migration.
- The same goes for LinkedIn.You need to have an optimized LinkedIn profile and a LinkedIn Vanity URL in your resume header. Just by having your LinkedIn vanity URL in your resume header, you will be perceived as a professional who is tech savvy. You can’t afford to not be on LinkedIn in general. By simply letting your reader know this in you header, you are sending a subtle message that will work in your favor.
What if your advanced degree is 20+ years old and/or not related to your target field?
Another common question I receive is around advanced degrees. If your advanced degree isn’t related to the field you’re targeting, add the degree, but omit the dates. Don’t go into great detail around your focus. Simply include it as: PHD, University of Pennsylvania for example.
Should you include relevant experience from 20 years ago?
It may be the case that your experience from 20 years ago was very relevant to where you’d like to go next. This is not an excuse to list experience past 15 years. In this case you want to strike a delicate balance on your resume. Otherwise the time that has passed, and your age will appear much more boldly than your relevant experience in the eyes of the hiring manager.
One strategy you can use, is to add a new section called “Relevant Experience” to your resume. In this section, you would include the company name, the city, state, and the position. You wouldn’t go into any further detail beyond that. This is a great strategy to consider if you have older experience with top brands. The brand recognition can be very valuable on your resume.
Should you include relevant technical skills?
When showcasing a technical skill, use discretion. These can become obsolete very quickly. So for example, if you’re an engineer, you don’t want to include your experience working on rotary phones. This is outdated technology and it will make you appear just as outdated. The most important thing to remember with skills is that of having a separate skills keyword section. This is where you would include your technical skills. If you are hoping to fill a resume gap with relevant skills, try volunteering so you can add these sought-after skills to your repertoire.
Perception is reality when it comes to your resume
Keep in mind that when it comes to your resume, perception is reality and you cannot afford to appear off-trend or rusty. I can’t tell you how many 50-plus resumes I come across that are way off-trend. If this is the case, you can absolutely expect a hiring manager to make initial judgments about your age. Anyone would. For example, if you haven’t had a full resume makeover since you’ve graduated college, your resume is off-trend. Much has changed in the world of resume presentation including the addition of the skills section (due to ATS technology). If your resume is even slightly off-trend, your age will show and not in a good way.
If you are struggling with your resume and bringing it up to speed, I highly recommend investing in a professionally written resume. If you’re someone who’s not “branding savvy” you could recruit your children or grandchildren to help modernize your resume. However because of your years of valuable experience you want to be sure that your best and brightest accomplishments and top selling points aren’t overlooked. This can tend to be the case with those highly designed resume templates. They look great, but they don’t convey your best accomplishments. Furthermore, many of the designer resume templates aren’t ATS-optimized. In my experience this is better left to resume writing experts. If you know you need a new resume that will bring you up to trend, hire an expert to do this for you. You’ll be glad you did!
If you’re hoping to improve your 50-plus resume and reduce age discrimination, check out our ageism-busting resume services. Our master resume writers will provide you with a custom resume strategy phone consultation, ATS and keyword optimized resume, and tailored resume that speaks to your strongest career accomplishments and value – everything you need to feel confident, navigate the job search successfully, and put your best foot forward as a 50-plus applicant.
