The world is advancing with each breath we take and with that the requirements for survival are shifting. Due to these advancements, the job market has been seeing unprecedented competition. Today, age discrimination remains a concern for many job seekers, therefore, it is crucial that candidates craft a resume that truly highlights their skills and experiences and strikes the right chords.
For the older, experienced candidates, it is vital to be mindful of what they put on their resume, while showcasing all the talent they pack. In order to help the job seekers avoid the age-related bias and increase their chances of landing a job they desire, the CEO of Leet Resumes and founder of Ladders, Marc Cenedella, shared some good advice on what such candidates should change when creating a resume.
A Forbes article listed the seven tips Cenedella has shared.
Trim down the work history: Focus on the last 15 years of your career in your resume, keeping a heavy emphasis on the last 5-7 years to showcase the most relevant experience. Candidates’ older jobs from 20 years ago often have no relevance to the hiring manager.
Omit college graduation year: If a candidates’ college graduation year predates 2005, they should consider leaving it off the resume. This can help avoid drawing attention to age and keep the focus on qualifications.
Focus on technical skills: While mentioning their technical skills, candidates should highlight only current and relevant technology skills. Outdated software skills such as Autocad or WordPerfect should be dropped. Instead, it will be helpful to list popular software employers want like Excel (advanced user), SQL, Marketo, Salesforce, Slack, Illustrator, and cloud skills in AWS or Azure.
Showcase team mentality: It is important to showcase the candidates have ability to work collaboratively and keep up with change. Drop any reference that says you avoid or dislike change. No “my way or the highway.” Demonstrate your coachability and leadership in mentoring team members. Highlight your experience in building high-performance, collaborative teams.
A continuous learner: Candidates must appear as a continuous learner and show that they apply their knowledge at work. They should consider taking courses like project management to enhance their skill set and demonstrate their commitment to professional development.
Bye Bye old-fashioned email addresses: Replace outdated email addresses like AOL, Hotmail, or Yahoo with a Gmail address. Using an antiquated email provider can give the impression that you are not tech-savvy.
Avoid home address and home phone numbers: There is no need to list personal details like address and landline numbers. The city in which the candidates reside and the state, along with a smart phone number will do the trick.