The Ageless Resume: Stop Clients From Being Screened Out From Age

What’s the goal of the resume? To get job seeking candidates an interview, a phone call, or some positive interaction with potential employers. To achieve this, resumes must do two things:

• prove the candidate meets enough of the employer’s needs to seriously consider, and
• minimize any distractions that could get them screened-out.

There is lots of good advice available on how to pitch a candidate’s talent, prove they have the qualifications and meet the employer’s needs. However, being qualified is not enough -- not enough to get an interview and not enough to get hired. They must also prove they are a good fit and avoid being screened out (the book The 6 Reasons You'll Get the Job will help them do both).

Many highly-qualified and well-matched candidates fail to get a call or interview because of distractions on their resume or other marketing pieces. They are screened-out for minor offenses, and the employer never gets to see how valuable they would be.

This is not the employer’s fault. With so many talented people competing, it is our responsibility to help candidates remove all distraction so employers can see what they offer.

The Age Issue

Is there age discrimination? Of course there is, at both ends of the spectrum. I will not deny it. However, it is equally true that Americans in their 50s, 60s, 70s, and even 80s not only work, but reinvent themselves and begin new work. It can be done. Check out AARP’s Work Reimagined.

Don’t defeat yourself. Has the candidate decided that they are too old, that no one hires people their age or with their particular experience, or that it is too late to learn something new or try again? If so, they are standing in their own way. Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.” Proverbs 23:7 reminds us that “as man [woman] thinketh in his [her] heart, so is he [she].”

Encourage them to recognize and challenge their own mindset and cultivate productive self-talk… as if their success depends on it. Remind them they do not need dozens of job offers; they simply need to encounter a couple of employers for whom they are a great match. Rather than asking if there is discrimination, encourage them to ask,

• Do I believe I bring value to the workforce?
• Can I see it for myself?
• Can I pick myself up even after setback?
• Do I have accountability, support, and role models that keep me moving forward?

If not, have them begin looking for inspiring role models, in their own life, by building their network and in the media. Have them surround themselves with real life stories and people who challenge their limited thinking and fortify their belief that they can do this. The Life Reimagined stories can help.

Get practical. Here are 7 fresh ways to age-proof a LinkedIn Profile.

With the right mindset and these tips, older and seasoned candidates can avoid getting screened-out and win a chance to land the job.