15/12/21

Best practices to minimizing age discrimination on a resume

 As a resume builder, I understand that if you're over 40, it's normal to be concerned about age discrimination - after all, that's the age at which you begin to be protected from discrimination under Federal law, and even if you don't appear to be your age, you may be feeling it now and then. (Perhaps you've realised you can't stay up as late as you used to, or perhaps you've observed yourself making the noise your father makes when he gets out of his chair!) So, you're feeling a little older than you'd like, and you need to find work.


The good news is that age discrimination isn't based on one's chronological age. It's about everything people connect with becoming older. It's like slowing down. Being in poorer health than someone younger. Being behind the times in terms of technological developments. It's not that Manager X doesn't want any 50-year-olds in his firm; it's that he has a lot of misconceptions about what being 50 implies in his brain, and those cliches are what he wants to avoid.


Once you realise this, there are several things you can take to guarantee that your age does not appear on your resume.

Besttips for minimizing age discrimination

Do you think they're concerned that you're technologically behind the times? Demonstrate that you aren't one of them. Include links to social media sites like LinkedIn and Twitter. As a resume builder, I recommend creating a personal website with a platform like Weebly.com or Visual resume and then including the URL in your resume.

When it comes to combating the image of bad health or a lack of vitality, I recommend including any sports-related or high-energy activities. One previous client, for example, mentioned his marathon running and extended cycling racing expertise. Yoga was mentioned as a pastime by another person.

Finally, to avoid people assuming your age, try leaving older experience off your resume. For instance, you may wish to exclude positions that date back more than ten years.

Note: You don't have to erase this event if it's crucial to your sales pitch – perhaps because it directly ties to what you plan to accomplish next or contains a well-known firm in your field. Instead, create a new section on your resume labelled "early experience" and leave the dates of work blank. (You grant yourself permission to modify the format in this way by starting a new section.)

As a one of the top resume writers I know, none of these strategies will change your age, but they will all affect your age perception, and that is all that is required.

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