You may be inadvertently revealing your age on your resume. Unfortunately, age discrimination does occur. To help, here are nine ways you are giving away your age and how to resolve.
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Oversupply of Contact Details
Multiple phone numbers make a resume look dated. One contact number where a message can be left is sufficient.
Solution: State only your mobile number and email address.
Outdated Formatting
Your first resume probably had dates on the left. However, this format is no longer standard practice and is incompatible with resume scanning software.
Solution: Ensure employment dates are listed on the right after your company name or position.
Also, don’t be tempted to disguise your years of experience with a functional resume format. (A functional resume groups your achievements under skill headings rather than against each job you held). A reverse chronological resume is expected and preferred.
Related: Resume Formating Tips
Related: Should I use an Infographic Resume?
Dates of Education and Professional Development
Your education and training dates provide a big clue to your age. Some quick math will reveal how old you are.
Solution: Leave dates off your education. If you have been in the workforce for many years, your experience will be of most relevance.
Incidentally, skills generally have a “half-life” of about five years. If your education or professional development is more than ten years old, then you should consider if it is still relevant and should be on your resume at all.
Age Defining Resume Clichés
Overused phrases lack impact and can also be age revealing, for example, ‘seasoned professional’, ‘extensive experience’
Solution: Replace overused phrases with specifics. Use concrete examples of your professional achievements to demonstrate your skills.
Related: Resume Clichés and Buzzwords
Related: How to Write an Achievement Story
Objective Statements
Objective statements are outdated and ineffective.
Solution: Replace your objective statement with a Personal Branding Statement or Qualifications Summary.
Related: Don’t Include an Objective Statement
Providing a Complete Work History
Your early career experiences are likely very different from the type of work and level you perform today. Potential employers are going to be most interested in what you did recently.
Solution: As a general rule, go back 10 to 15 years and only include very significant and relevant achievements earlier than that.
Listing Common Skills
Today, most people have an excellent familiarity with MS Word, Outlook, or similar. You are not demonstrating that you have kept up to date with technology by listing outdated equipment, programs, and tools.
Solution: List only specialised software or newer technologies.
(On the subject of technology, review your email address also. Including your year of birth in your email handle will confirm your age)
Following the One Page Rule
A resume does not need to be just one page. The one-page rule is outdated (especially in the Australian job market). Following this rule when you have many years of experience, will result in you will editing down your resume to include very little.
Solution: Forget the one-page rule. It is perfectly acceptable to have more than one page for your resume, especially for someone with many years of experience. Keep it concise and focused by including only information relevant to the role you are applying.
Including References
References are not required at the screening stage of the recruitment process. Including references or the statement ‘references available on request’ is unnecessary.
Solution: Remove references from your resume. Focus instead on cultivating a professional online presence.
If you are concerned your resume reveals your age, you can submit a quote request for feedback. For information on my writing services see Resume Writing Services
