• Tweet
• Share
• Email
• Print

You've got experience, knowledge, and a great resume. Bet you didn't know that resume can actually work against you! In today's competitive job market, you need to consider your age-- and how to "anti-age" your resume when you're on the market. Dawn Passara loved her career as a human resources recruiter. She was used to hiring, firing, and layoffs, until it happened to her. She suddenly had to market herself to new companies. "I have 20 years experience in HR, actually more than that," she said. And that, she knew could work against her. Because people in their 50's entering the job market, can find that age is a liability. "Job candidates do get screened out based on the age that they present in their resume," Passaro admitted. We're talking about people in the prime of their career-- early 30's, 40's, and 50's-- looking too old on paper. Melanie Holmes of Milwaukee-based Manpower admits that age matters. "I would really like to say that you can't look too old on a resume, but I think the reality is that some recruiters do judge us by how old we are," she told us candidly. Savvy to that fact, Dawn knew it was important to de-age her resume. The first thing she changed: "I do not include all my work experience," she admitted. Career expert Jeanne Knight says that's a smart move. "What candidates can do to make themselves look younger in a resume is only list 10 to 15 years of work experience," she told us. Drop your graduation date, and make sure you list any seminars or workshops that focus on new technology. Ditch old-fashioned lists of tasks and responsibilities. Instead, use keywords to show you're up on industry trends. One more piece of advice-- don't underestimate the power of being "connected" on the World Wide Web. "Every recruiter that I've ever talked to uses the internet to look for candidates. And so having a presence on the web is extremely important if you're serious about looking for a job," Holmes advised. That includes creating profiles on professional and regular social networking sites, and blogging. Dawn sees the importance..especially with blogs. "You get to present yourself as a thought leader and that's really the goal," she said. When you get an interview, do everything you can to present a modern appearance. If your last suit was from the 80's, invest in a new one and make sure your hairstyle is up-to-date. Jeanne Knight even advises her clients to cover the grays so interviewers don't get hung up on appearance and can concentrate on the important things. "A multi-million dollar deal they brought in for the company. It might be for the processes they've streamlined," she recommended as possible talking points. Dawn switched gears and found work selling human resources products and feels like she's right where she belongs. Recent research shows more and more people are getting cosmetic surgery to help with their careers. Our experts say they don't feel that's necessary although feeling confident is important. Also, our experts say beware: Deleting all dates from your resume can be a red flag …so be careful about how many dates you eliminate.