Are you actually INVITING age bias with your resume content?

 

There's no doubt that age bias is alive and well in the job market. Nearly every job hunter hovering near the 50's and 60's seems to either fear this issue, or has actually experienced it.

However, if you're sending out resumes in droves and wondering why your responses are scarce, consider this--you might actually be INVITING attention on the subject of your age (and not in a positive way!).

To avoid being cut from consideration, read on for some simple changes that can change the response to your resume (even if you're in your 60's):

1 - Cut to the chase on your career history.
Does any employer really care what you did 25 years ago? Most hiring managers want to see fresh experience, and consider achievements from the past 10-15 years to be most relevant.

Even though you'll want to show much-needed progression up the career ladder, the main focus should be on what you've achieved lately.

However, if you just can't let go of that Senior Engineer or Banking Manager title from the 80's, add it (without dates) in a one-liner at the end of your professional history.

2 - Don't let numbers hurt your chances.
Is your best accomplishment mere survival? It can look that way if you begin a resume summary with "...over 25 years in sales...."

Your strongest qualifications are better demonstrated by describing achievements that generated profits, cut bottom-line costs, or retained customers, instead of focusing on longetivity alone.

3 - Stick to relevant facts.
The date of every degree program is not the most enticing fodder for your resume.

Consider that hiring managers won't find it pertinent that your MBA was completed 18 years ago--and displaying that engineering degree from the 1970's can actually kill your chances for consideration.

Most employers requiring a degree focus mainly on the program itself, with less emphasis on the graduation date. Cut the date, but keep the degree.

4 - Don't make employers read a book.
If your strategy for updating your resume throughout the years was to just add your latest job, and then add the next, and the next... it's time to stop.

Employers don't have time to wade through pages of your career story! Summarize your credentials up front, and then chop-ruthlessly--from the back, until you've narrowed it to 2 or 3 pages.

5 - Keep your resume format current.
The Internet age has dawned... should you still be using a font that looks as if it were produced on a typewriter?

Remember that the most compelling resumes are actually career marketing documents selling you as a solution to employer's needs. Therefore, they deserve better than freeform typing using the default font.

Presentation is key when it comes to marketing your strengths. You can find attractive formats to spark fresh ideas for your resume by searching resume books or samples online.

Remember, employers are in dire need of industry knowledge, consistent results, and flexibility from their employees, especially in today's culture of constant change and economic turmoil.

Market qualifications, NOT age, as you advance your career to the next level--and you''ll stand a better chance of reaping the benefits of your hard-earned expertise.