Ageism is real. And I have some controversial advice on that.

𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝘁.

I’ve experienced ageism during a job search. I got aged out for a younger candidate, and I’m OK with that. Let me tell you why I’m OK - and why you should be too.

It’s simple. I don’t get angry or emotional about things I can’t control. There’s no point. I can’t control how old I am. My parents - either by accident or design - determined my age a long, long time ago. I didn’t have control over it then, I don’t have control over it now, and guess what? I won’t have control over it tomorrow. So, I always advise my job seeking clients to Just. Get. Over. It.

Instead, focus on the things you can control. Namely, bury all clues to your age. Don’t give the hiring manager a reason to even go there. Spotlight the value of your experience, not the volume.

Here are the top 3 mistakes I see on the resumes of older job seekers. And that means anyone over the age of 40 by the way…Sad, but true

𝟭. Including your college graduation dates. Just for fun, every time I work with a job seeker who lists their graduation dates, I do a quick bit of mental math at the start of our call. I guess their age, and I’m never wrong, give or take a couple of years. Keep your qualifications and colleges, ditch your graduation dates. And if your college changed its name (mine did!), use the new name.

𝟮. In the summary paragraph, writing something like “20+ years experience in…”. No, no, no. “Very experienced”, “Highly experienced”, “Proven”, all good. Seasoned? Nah, don’t use that, it’s just a filler word. The only “seasoned” recruiters care about are firewood and steaks. 

𝟯. Including every job you’ve had since graduation. Another easy giveaway. For example, listing a job you started in 2002 right out of college. That tells me you’re 45 years old, more or less. Trust me, only in really exceptional circumstances is a hiring manager going to care about something you did 20 years ago. Listing your most recent 10-12 years work experience is usually all you need - maybe 15 at a push. If you truly think you need more than that, use the button at the top of the page to setup a no cost conversation with me to chat about that.

That’s the big 3 for me. There are other signs which are more subtle which older job seekers should be aware of, but I’ll get to those another time.