Six Résumé Strategies for Fighting Age Discrimination: How Baby Boomers Can Use Résumés to Showcase Their Vitality
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They say you can never be too rich, too young or too thin. A quick perusal of today’s business websites and their stock photos of pretty executives, with more wrinkles in their coolly disheveled Armani suits than around their eyes, reveals that the business community is buying into this concept big time.

With the first wave of baby boomers turning sixty this year, this bias towards the young, and the more modest paychecks they command, is impacting the lives of millions of former flower children looking for jobs. So how do you fight “The Man” now that he is a twenty-nine-year-old hiring manager with a nose ring?

According to Kim Mohiuddin of Movin’ On Up Résumés, it is incumbent upon the older candidate to shape the way he or she is perceived by employers. Said Mohiuddin, “That means demonstrating in every part of your job search, from the style and platform of your résumé to your bearing at the interview, that you are a vital individual with innovative contributions to make to the workplace.” This may be true for anyone looking to distinguish themselves from a crowd of applicants, but it is especially important when there is a bias to be overcome.

The first step is to understand the nature of the bias. Employers sometimes perceive older workers as out-of-touch with the latest trends in their field, more hindered by family obligations and more likely to demand a higher compensation package. “The perception that older workers are not up-to-date in their field is the easiest one to combat, presuming the candidate has kept up with trends in his or her industry. Once a candidate successfully conveys that, their age and experience become an advantage and an employer may be open to paying a higher salary and being flexible with working hours,” Mohiuddin said. She offered these tips for workers over forty.

  1. Don’t put outdated experience on your résumé.

    Unless it is so compelling that it outweighs the risk of prejudice, don’t list experience that is more than 15 years old. If the experience strongly supports your case, consider a format which de-emphasizes or leaves out the date.

  2. Prominently feature recent training.

    This includes self-initiated continuing education, classes you have taken to maintain licensure and any training received from your last employer. If you don’t have any and cannot otherwise show that you are current, consider taking a class or two.

  3. Mention your marathon running or tennis league participation.

    Though putting ‘hobbies’ on a résumé is generally passé, in this case athletic pursuits demonstrate that you are still full of vim and vigor.

  4. Use your cover letter to demonstrate your savvy.

    An effective way to treat a cover letter is to inform an employer of something that might be useful for them. It is always good to start a business relationship by giving rather than taking, and this paints you as an expert in your field. Such a letter would look something like this:

    Did you know that installing a diesel generator in an over-the-road truck saves up to $7000 in fuel costs? I installed generators in our fifty-truck fleet five years ago as Transportation Manager at ABC Trucking. They paid for themselves in a year, and so far the company has saved over $1.5 million in fuel costs.

  5. Eliminate years of graduation.

    Unless they are recent, graduation years give away your age. Does this raise suspicion about your age? Yes. But it shows that you are hip enough to play the game.

  6. Don’t use tired résumé formats.

    Creating a résumé that looks like a replica of the one Mary Tyler Moore gave to Ed Asner is a sure sign of stodginess. Take some time to read a few current résumé books or, better yet, hire a professional résumé writer who can work with you to paint your life and work experience as the asset that it is.