Email your most pressing questions on resumes, job search, and best practices for maintaining a strong online identity to question@anexpertresume.com. I'll answer at least one query weekly in this column.
Laura,
Maybe you can cover a few resume pointers for the folks in their fifties who have been wrongfully terminated and suddenly have to make an emergency career change.
I'm sorry to hear of the situation at your former employer; I'm sure it's not much consolation, but you certainly have a lot of company.
The good news here is that, with a long career, the time you spend adding valuable skills to your resume WILL pay off.
Age bias, as we've seen many times over, is alive and well in many facets of the job market. However, I would encourage you to remember that, for every employer that seems to want "newer" talent, there's at least one (if not a dozen) who welcome seasoned professionals who bring a strong work ethic and expansive skill set.
When updating your resume at this stage, there are a few things to remember:
- Many employers don't fear age per se, they fear expense.
While a strong career history should play in your favor, consider that a tough market may mean that companies are eyeing their budgets carefully.
If you have flexibility in your salary requirements, put together a strategy (not necessarily on your resume, but in your entire job hunt) using a niftly little book called Negotiating Your Salary: How to Make $1000 a Minute by Jack Chapman. In it, you'll find tips for every situation from wanting more to settling for less, and how to make it happen on YOUR terms.
Also, decide how you want to be portrayed and whether you're aiming at a lateral move. Order the information on your resume according to the level you are targeting, and remember to create more than one resume if you're looking at 2 different goals (for example, VP of Sales plus Sales Manager).
- Be careful not to put yourself out of the running with metrics and dates.
As I've mentioned many times, graduation degrees really shouldn't appear on a resume unless they are fresh. Most employers simply look at your degree information, and aren't that focused on the date.
In addition, hiring managers care mostly about experience from the past 10-15 years, as anything beyond this really isn't that relevant. This means that, if you've held a long career in your field, you can start to "drop off" older positions.
Ensure that your resume reflects your value proposition, not just your years of tenure. This is one of my most often-repeated recommendations - get "over 30 years' experience" out of your resume summary. It doesn't say anything new about you, and gives the reader just ONE qualification--your age--to absorb.
So, my recommendation for you is the same as for all professionals -- get focused on your personal brand, the metrics behind your achievements, and how you can make a difference for your next employer (and get directly in front of employers by skipping the Internet ad response game!).
Anyone who can show consistent results (especially those that generate revenue and cut costs) can get the attention of companies that need to do precisely these things in today's economy.
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