In a hiring environment where unspoken age discrimination against older job applicants continues to exist, job candidates older than 50 have reason to be concerned that they may not get a fair shot at jobs for which they are qualified. If you are an older job applicant and are wondering why you are not getting contacted for interviews, take a closer look at your resume.
Cut Down Your Employment History
Ten to 15 years of employment history is sufficient for any resume. By the time you've reached 50, your entry-level jobs are no longer relevant to your career path. Wipe them off your resume.
Update Your Contact Information
In the past, job applicants sometimes listed their home address on their resumes. In the current era, however, that feels old-fashioned; no hiring manager needs to send anything to your home address. Instead, just list your email address and phone numbers. Get rid of your AOL or Hotmail email address, which pegs you as an older job applicant, and replace it with a Gmail address or an address tied to your own domain name.
Use the Correct Terminology
Using outdated terminology to discuss your qualifications or your job duties at prior positions is a guaranteed way to make yourself look old on your resume. This tip is particularly key for older job applicants who are trying to make a career change. Do some research to bring your resume up to date, and make sure you are phrasing your qualifications and accomplishments using the language of the field into which you are trying to transition.
Delete Your Education Dates
While employers are legally prohibited from asking an older job applicant's age, you make it easy for them to figure it out when you provide the dates of your college degrees. What matters is the educational qualifications you have achieved, not the years when you gained them. Cut all education-related dates off of your resume.
Add Links to Your Resume
Your online resume is much more valuable than any old-school paper resume. Modernize your resume by adding links to your LinkedIn or professional website. If you're applying for a technology job or you have a creative portfolio to show off, link to it in the cloud so your job interviewers can take a look easily.
With nearly half of older job applicants reporting that they have been overlooked for positions because of their age, keeping yourself from looking too old on your resume is vital if you are over 50. Because age discrimination is a real obstacle for older job applicants, take every step you can to remove this barrier from your resume so you can get yourself an interview that lets you prove your worth.
Photo courtesy of Nutdanai Apikhomboonwaroot at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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