Richman: Age discrimination? Not this time
Richman: Age discrimination? Not this time
The other day I received a call from someone who instantly projected good humor and optimism. After a few moments of banter, I asked the purpose of his call so that I could be of assistance to him. The following dialogue is not verbatim but is offered to you with the permission of the caller, and it will give you the flavor and direction of our conversation.
“Something big is getting in the way of my getting hired,” he said. “I don’t know what it is but I have a hunch that my age is scaring off interviewers.”
I asked how many interviews he’d had.
“That’s the amazing thing,” he said. “I haven’t been invited to any interviews. I have a great résumé, so that can’t be the problem. It shows what a go-getter I am for my age. I’ll attach it so you can see what I mean.”
He sent it to me and I saw what he meant and more — starting with his job objective, which read: “Sixty-eight year old veteran of business conflict, with close to 50 years of hard-fought experience, is eager to teach your company a thing or two.”
He followed his objective with a 10-line skills summary and followed that with his work experience, beginning with his first job out of high school in 1958. It ended, five pages later, with his most-recent position. He used 10-point type and single-spacing throughout.
“So, what do you think?” he said. “It’s great isn’t it? Can you believe I’ve accomplished that much in 50 years?”
I congratulated him on his many accomplishments, many of which I could see were hard-fought, as his objective stated, then asked if he were ready for some candid feedback. With good humor, he assured me that he was.
“Fire away,” he said. “I’ll duck if I have to.”
And so here it is — for him, and for you:
Instead of leading with an inescapable and direct reference to your age, and using hot-button words and phrases like “conflict,” “fought” and “teach your company a thing or two” — the latter phrase suggesting you’re not open to learning (a real turnoff) — go with word choices that make your point without antagonizing or distracting the reader.
An example: “Experienced business leader, manager and negotiator with a solid track record of turn-around accomplishment seeks opportunity to lead your team to improved profitability.”
After you’ve gotten your objective squared away, outline your work experience in reverse chronological order, listing your most-recent job first. Include three to five accomplishments per entry, being sure each is aligned with your stated job objective. Use quantitative, not qualitative, language and get the job done in two pages using 12-point type so your résumé is as easy to read as it is to understand. Go back in time 15 years and just summarize anything else that came before.
Because the market is increasingly competitive, be mindful that whatever you write and say should focus on what employers need and want from the people working for them. If you dwell on age as an impediment, so will the people listening to you.
Joyce Richman is a speaker and career coach conducting seminars and workshops throughout the United States, and the author of “Roads, Routes & Ruts: A Guidebook for Career Success.” You can reach her at 288-1799 or JERichman@aol.com. Watch Richman’s latest career advice Wednesdays at 6:35 a.m. during “The Good Morning Show” on WFMY News 2.
