Believe it or not, age-related discrimination is still rampant in the hiring world. Many clients who come to me report they have not been able to get interviews because they appear to be “too old” on their resume. Because of this, they feel overlooked and have had trouble gaining interviews for jobs they are qualified to do.
Here’s the advice I share to help them appear “younger” on their resume.
Remove old-school resume phrases.
Resumes have changed over the past 10 or 15 years. It used to be acceptable to begin a resume with the word “Objective” followed by stating your career target. And job seekers used to close a resume by stating, “References available upon request.”
But this no longer works. Those who read a resume want to be able to glance at it and understand what type of position you’re seeking. Instead, current resumes will list a job target such as “VP of Operations” in place of “objective” and supplement it with a branding section that lists strengths, skills and outlines your competitive advantage.
The proper way to end a resume is to leave out the “references” phrase, with the understanding that the interviewer will ask for references if they are needed.
Update your contact information.
I still get resumes that list landlines or several phone numbers for contact information. The current trend is to only list your mobile phone number. Also, be sure that your voicemail message sounds professional. Identify your name, and request that the caller leave a message. Return job-related voice messages in a prompt manner.
If you still list an AOL or Yahoo email on your resume, consider upgrading to a more current provider like Gmail.
Granted, if you have a stellar job history, it is not likely you’ll be nixed for an interview if you use an older provider. However, if you want to appear younger and with the times, it’s a good idea to upgrade.
Shorten your professional experience section.
Executives over 40 may have professional experience on their resume that dates back to the 1980s. I once had an ambitious and amazing professional in her upper 70s who had experience dating back to the 1970s. For a modern resume that focuses on the most recent experience, an executive resume should only go back 10-15 years.
Exceptions to this rule would be if a person has stellar experience from farther back that positions the candidate in a favorable light.
Highlight accomplishments that demonstrate your knowledge of current industry technologies and trends, if applicable. For example, a chief marketing officer will want to demonstrate familiarity with digital marketing, search engine optimization and social media. A chief financial officer may wish to highlight experience with technologies within the financial realm.
Remove dates from your education.
Remove dates from all degrees that were received more than five years in the past.
Most people will start their undergraduate degree right after high school, when they are 18, and graduate at age 22. Hiring managers and recruiters can therefore easily determine your age based on the year you graduated. By leaving older dates out, you make it a bit harder for others to determine your age.
Granted, you will most likely need to fill out an application and list the dates you obtained your college degree. Leaving it out of your resume keeps you in the mix longer and might help you land an initial interview.
Modernize your skills.
Mention digital and more current skill sets you have acquired. Remove antiquated skill sets like outdated software programs.
Conduct some research on job descriptions to identify the current skill set a person needs for the job you want. If you’re missing those skills, take time now to obtain them. For instance, a director of marketing should be skilled in digital and social marketing techniques.
If you have a skill that is no longer listed as necessary and is not viable, consider leaving it out. A computer programmer may not want to list knowledge of very old programs that are no longer in use.
Use a contemporary writing style to ensure applicant-tracking-system compatibility.
People read differently today; they want to be able to skim through a resume very easily and grasp the high points of a document.
Write your resume with short paragraphs and no more than six bullet points per job description. Categorize the accomplishment bullets if more than six are present. Bold or highlight key phrases or outstanding accomplishments to enable these items to stand out more clearly.
Ensure that your resume is properly formatted to be read by the ATS software. The ATS encounters issues when reading text in multiple columns and text boxes, and will outright ignore text within headers and footers.
As ATS software becomes more sophisticated, it is making use of artificial intelligence (AI). Whereas an older ATS software will count keywords, newer ATS software that uses AI can now determine years of experience and other higher-level thoughts from the resume.
Use keywords for your industry and role so that the ATS software determines you are a qualified candidate. Keep text in a somewhat standard resume format so the ATS software is able to easily “read” your resume. Ensure you have a modern resume that is well-written.
Modernize the resume’s visual style and font.
Many executives who come to me for a resume refresh have plain black-and-white resumes with no color, lines, or visual appeal. Adding a more modern look with colors and lines will make the resume look more current.
Avoid old-school fonts such as Times New Roman and Courier. Newer, more contemporary fonts include Calibri and Arial.
Implement these modernized strategies within your resume, and you will appear younger.