Older jobseekers often worry that their age will hold them back in the job market. Although it is illegal for employers to engage in age discrimination against job applicants, it still happens. Therefore, how can a mature job hunter go about downplaying their age to score their next great professional opportunity? This discussion provides some tips to use in your job search to get your target employer interested in your qualifications and not distracted by concerns about your age.
What Are Employer Concerns about Mature Job Seekers?
Many times, recruiters and hiring managers do not set out to hold an applicant’s age against them, but somehow internal biases creep in when sorting through resumes. Although you are unlikely to find anyone on the hiring team who would admit it, some concerns about older workers include the following assumptions:
- Older workers are stuck in their ways.
- Older workers’ technical skills are lacking.
- Older workers may not fit a younger company culture.
- Older workers may not be willing to work under a younger supervisor.
- Older workers require a higher salary.
What Can I Do to Counter Age-Related Concerns When Applying for Jobs?
There are a few steps you can take to position yourself better by being mindful of age-related biases that may cause your resume to be rejected. Often the first round of application reviews involves weeding through tons of resumes, which can mean that the decision makers may only spend a few moments looking over a resume before finding a reason to toss it. For that reason, you should make sure your resume has no glaring references that might age you, such as tell-tale dates and outdated references or skills.
The goal should be to have the decision maker read through as much of your resume as possible. By not providing age-disclosing information, it may offer the chance for them to come across your qualifying skills before any age concerns send your resume into the discard pile.
Here are a few tips to be a more attractive candidate:
- Remove education dates. There is no need to include your graduation year. Listing your school and education level is enough. Moving your education section to the bottom of your resume can keep the attention on your skills and qualifications.
- Trim old work experience. List only recent jobs, limiting this section to relevant roles within the past 15 years or so.
- Highlight tech skills. Nearly all jobs require some level of technology competency. Your tech skills should be prominently listed.
- Be up on job-search trends. Most job seekers have profiles on LinkedIn; so should you. Also, make sure your email is not giving you away; domains such as AOL or Hotmail are considered outdated.
- Be flexible on salary. Negotiating pay comes late in the process, so do not make it a sticking point before you are sure you have gotten the chance to prove your worth.
South Jersey Employment Lawyers at The Law Offices of Leo B. Dubler, III, LLC, Represent Job Applicants Alleging Ageism
If you were passed over for a job or promotion and you believe the reason was due to ageism, reach out to the South Jersey employment lawyers at The Law Offices of Leo B. Dubler, III, LLC. We can help you understand the law as it relates to age-based employment decisions and help you build a case to prove that you are a victim of employment discrimination. Call us today at 856-235-7075 or contact us online for a free consultation. With office locations in Mount Laurel and Atlantic City, New Jersey, we proudly serve clients from Cherry Hill, Burlington County, Camden County, and throughout South Jersey.