{"id":15500,"date":"2022-05-02T10:36:57","date_gmt":"2022-05-02T14:36:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jobillico.com\/blog\/?p=15500"},"modified":"2022-05-02T10:38:40","modified_gmt":"2022-05-02T14:38:40","slug":"how-to-age-proof-your-resume","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jobillico.com\/blog\/en\/how-to-age-proof-your-resume\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Age-Proof Your Resume"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Make sure that you make a great first impression with recruiters and successfully start a new phase of your career by knowing how to age-proof your resume.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re in the workforce for decades, chances are you have tons of valuable wisdom and experience. But while job hunting, being an older worker (40 or above) comes with numerous hurdles \u2014 one of them is the possibility of age discrimination. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although discriminating against candidates based on their age<\/a> is illegal, it still happens in many organizations. People above 40 years of age are often perceived as expensive, lacking technical skills and knowledge of the latest tools, or generally not up-to-date or innovative as younger candidates.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re concerned about facing bias during the job search due to your age, the good news is that there are multiple ways to showcase that you are the right person for the role. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since a resume or CV<\/a> is the first thing recruiters will check to learn about you, it\u2019s highly crucial to know how to age-proof your resume to stand out among others<\/a> and land your dream job. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what information should you include<\/a> and what can hinder<\/a> your chances of finding a suitable job? That\u2019s exactly what we\u2019re going to discuss in this post. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This blog post will look into five effective ways to help you develop a resume<\/a> that will get you noticed for all the right reasons. Let\u2019s take a closer look at how to age-proof your resume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How To Age-Proof Your Resume<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
  1. Highlight your experience<\/li>
  2. Remove older dates<\/li>
  3. Include relevant freelance experience<\/li>
  4. Mention latest skills<\/li>
  5. Join the LinkedIn bandwagon<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    1. Highlight your latest experience <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    When you have decades of work experience and success under your belt, it can be tempting to showcase all you\u2019ve done and achieved within different organizations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Including it all in one document, however, can do more harm than good as recruiters focus more on what you\u2019ve done lately instead of what you\u2019ve been doing all your life. Plus, it can overwhelm the reader and make them focus on your age rather than your skills for the job. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The experience of the last 10 to 15 years is sufficient to showcase your fitment for the role. Make sure the positions you\u2019ve held in these years are relevant to your current job search and convey less about the earliest jobs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Remember: <\/strong>Employers aren\u2019t interested in your first job straight out of college \u2014 especially when it has zero relevance to the kind of position you\u2019re searching for. So, avoid making your resume unnecessarily exhaustive and comprehensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2. Remove older dates <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    If any of your certifications<\/a>, education, or work experience fall outside the 15-year window, leave the date OFF of your resume. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For example, if you mention that you graduated 20 years ago, don\u2019t state the year or date \u2014 remove it altogether. This is because including a year can invite the possibility of age discrimination or multiple generational assumptions about you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Plus, it can alert the recruiters that you\u2019re older than the average candidate they expect to see  for the role, affecting your chances of getting hired. Instead, just mention the name of the certificate or degree, your field of study, and the institution where you received it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Sure, you have to list dates in your work experience section. But, you can age-proof your resume by stating the recent roles and dates. If you\u2019ve earned professional certificates, remove the year but do mention the certification\u2019s expiry date. Also ensure that your resume format<\/a> is up-to-date, highlights your latest skills, and has the URL of your up-to-date LinkedIn profile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    3. Include relevant freelance experience <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    If you have done any freelance work or have a side hustle, mention that under your current work experience section. However, make sure that it is somewhat related to the role you\u2019re applying for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Remember to make sure you have acquired this experience in the past 10-15 years to age-proof your resume. This can help in two ways: First, it shows your entrepreneurial side, and second, it shows that you\u2019re trying to learn new things and work on unique projects related to your desired role. Don\u2019t worry if there are gaps in your freelance experience<\/a>, as it will still serve to demonstrate your work ethic and commitment to develop outside the parameters of your role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    4. Mention latest skills <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    As a job applicant considering how to age-proof your resume, it\u2019s crucial to show recruiters that you have the latest skills and are up-to-date with the latest technological trends<\/a>, software<\/a>, process<\/a>, applications<\/a>, and platforms.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Make sure to include hard skills that are functional and quantifiable in your resume. You can emphasize your hard skills over your soft skills in your resume, as you can place greater focus on these in your cover letter<\/a> and during phone calls or job interviews<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    List all the types of applications you know, such as Google Drive, MS Office, Slack, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Trello, Notion, and others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you also know how to use any industry-specific software, mention that as well. For example, if you\u2019re applying for the role of an email marketer in a company, state that you know how to operate email marketing tools, like Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, and other relevant programs they use on a daily basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Furthermore, even if you\u2019re not applying for a technical role, list the various technical proficiencies you have that align with that particular job. And if you don\u2019t have any, consider taking a few online courses<\/a>, as you can gain valuable insights and demonstrate that you are committed to continuous learning<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    5. Join the LinkedIn bandwagon <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    LinkedIn is a goldmine for both job applicants and recruiters. It\u2019s an excellent platform for networking<\/a> with people within your industry, advertising your candidacy to potential employers, and finding high-paying jobs<\/a> in your desired field of work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Since 90% of recruiters<\/a> check the candidate\u2019s social media profiles<\/a> to make their hiring decisions, it makes sense for every candidate \u2014 irrespective of the job they\u2019re applying for \u2014 to have a well-built profile on LinkedIn.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A LinkedIn profile is like a free Facebook profile that highlights your current role, education, work experience, awards, skills. You can expect almost every recruiter to take a peek into your profile, even if they don\u2019t ask directly for the profile link. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    So, make sure to optimize your profile as per your recent skills, work experience, and role. You can also customize your LinkedIn profile URL, share valuable insights, network with others, and add the profile link on top of your resume or under the \u201ccontact details\u201d section so that recruiters can find you easily and quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The takeaway<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s easy to feel insecure about multiple things while doing a job search<\/a> \u2014 your age being one of them. Since ageism is common in today\u2019s job market, ensure your candidacy gets the consideration it deserves \u2014 by knowing how to age-proof your resume. Whether you create it from scratch or make a few tweaks, it is worth investing the time learning how to age-proof your resume so that you can get hired for the job you want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Updating your resume can be pretty overwhelming, no matter your age. But, following the above resume age-proofing tips, you can easily get your foot in the door and have a chance at an exciting new professional opportunity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Give yourself the best chance to get hired and start a new successful phase of your career by knowing how to age-proof your resume.","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":15501,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4754,481],"tags":[4784],"class_list":["post-15500","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cv","category-cv-lettres-de-presentation","tag-redaction-de-cvs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jobillico.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15500","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jobillico.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jobillico.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jobillico.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jobillico.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15500"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.jobillico.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15500\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15504,"href":"https:\/\/www.jobillico.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15500\/revisions\/15504"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jobillico.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jobillico.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jobillico.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jobillico.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}