9 Tips to Avoid Age Discrimination on Your Resume

9 Tips to Avoid Age Discrimination on Your Resume In a perfect world, employers would recognize the very real value that a seasoned employee can bring to their organizations. Alas, this is not a perfect world. The reality is that all too many hiring managers and business owners subconsciously discriminate against older workers. And that discrimination is only becoming more pronounced in the emerging digital age. Today’s hiring managers often assume that older workers just can’t keep pace with today’s ever-evolving technology and business paradigms. As a result, many will simply dismiss a seasoned candidate’s resume without a second thought. Fortunately, we have 9 tips that can help you create a resume that protects you from that obvious age discrimination. The interview is key to preventing age discrimination Before we get into the tips for avoiding discrimiantion, it’s important to recognize that most employers are not consciously biased against older workers. In most instances, they truly do want the best candidate for the jobregardless of that candidate’s age. Unfortunately, several potential factors might give them pause and prevent them from interviewing you: Some may worry that your salary demands will be more than they can meet.Others may wonder how you can fit in with their younger workforce.Most will be concerned about your familiarity with new technologies. In most instances, the only way to overcome that unintended age discrimination is in an interview setting. Once you land an interview, you can demonstrate your potential value to the employer. You can highlight your broad experience working with teams of all ages. And you can allay any salary requirement fears and talk about how you’ve adapted to changing technology. Obviously, the interview is key to avoiding age discrimination, so your resume needs to be designed to remove any obstacles to that interview. Remember that you do not need to include your age on a resume! Your resume should be an honest representation of what you bring to the tablebut there is no need to give personal information you werent asked for! 9 tips to help you age-proof your resume and land more interviews To craft a resume that minimizes the risk of age discrimination while maximizing your chances of landing an interview, follow these tips. 1. Modify your education section First things first. If you want to avoid age discrimination, get rid of those graduation dates in your education section. They’re a clear “tell” that quickly reveal your approximate age to anyone who can do simple math. Simply list the schools, course of study, and any achievements or awards. 2. Be selective about your included experience Seasoned employees always have a lengthy history of job experience. That experience can be a disadvantage, however, if you insist on including everything in your resume. If you’re been working for thirty or forty years, you really shouldn’t include your earliest jobs. After all, they require employment dates that will help to reveal your age. You only need to include the last 10 to 15 years on your resume. If you have relevant experience from before that time, consider covering it in your skills or qualifications section where no dates are needed. 3. Get a LinkedIn account These days, employers always check social media ebfore reaching out to cadidates. You should have a LinkedIn profile page with a professional photograph and a more personalized story about your career. Then include a link to that page on your resume. Tip: use a profile picture that looks how you would look entering an interview. Dont invite any surprisesemployers do value honesty! We have more tips for online pictures in the next tip. 4. Cultivate an active social media persona While you’re perfecting your LinkedIn profile, you can also avoid age discrimination by choosing the right photos of yourself for social media. Try to find photos that reveal your more youthful side while staying current. Hair dye, make up, and clothing is all fine if that is part of your normal look, but heavy filters, outdated photos, or tons of Photoshop probably wont help you out. 5. Emphasize recent technology in your resume To allay the technological doubts that often fuel age discrimination, emphasize your familiarity with new tech. Find places in your resume to include details about your use of various programs, machines, and tools. That’s a great way to highlight the fact that you’re more than ready to keep pace with any challenge! Tip: You want to focus on technical skills or programs that are current. For example, its now assumed that todays job candidates have experience with Microsoft Word. For more information on choosing the right skills to highlight, check out these posts: Top 15 Skills Employers Are Looking For In 2020Good Skills to Put on a Resume (Examples Included) Remember that most companies use ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) to automatically scan your resume. Include skills found in the job description to increase your chances of getting past an ATS. 6. Make sure you know that technology Of course, that age discrimination will rear its ugly head in the interview if you don’t really understand the tech you mention in your resume! To avoid that, do your homework. Want to mention your familiarity with any piece of software? Get familiar with it first. That will enable you to honestly claim that knowledge. 7. Highlight desirable skills on your resume While your experience is useful, it’s just as important to highlight skills. Figure out which skills are needed for the job and focus on them throughout your resume. Remember, the goal is to convince the hiring manager that you’re the best candidate for the job. Doing that will alleviate any potential for age discrimination. Desirable skills will vary based on industry and position, but check out advice on our post about tailoring your resume for more ideas. 8. Focus on value What do employers want? Obviously, they want value. They need a team filled with people who can add value to their companies. You should emphasize your value-added prospects by highlighting specific accomplishments you’ve had in other jobs. Moreover, link those achievements to real numbers that demonstrate the value you brought to your jobs. In this case, the bigger the number, the more impressive you look 9. Be flexible on salary Finally, prepare to be flexible on salary. Even if the job offering asks you to include salary expectations, be sure to leave it open to negotiation. Allow the employer the opportunity to discover your potential value first, and everything else will fall into place. Summary The good news is that it is possible to avoid age discrimination. Just follow these simple tips and focus on creating a value-added resume that any employer will love. If you can achieve that goal, you can land more interviews and secure the employment you deserve. Related posts: 7 No-Fail Resume Tips for Older Workers Examples5 Things Hiring Managers Look for in Your LinkedIn ProfileHow Far Back Should A Resume Go In 2020?