If you’re over 55 and looking for a job, do you need to worry about age discrimination? Technically, asking about age is an illegal interview question, but if you’re worried about your age, here are some tips to help you.
First of all, on your resume, leave off the dates you graduated from high school, college, and post-graduate school. What about the dates you worked 30 years ago – won’t employers know your age from your lengthy work history? On your resume, you only need to list your work experience for the last 10 to 15 years. On the other hand, if your work experience from years ago is relevant to the job for which you are applying, consider adding it. A clever way is to make a category title on your resume of “Other Relevant Work Experience.” Beneath the category title, list only the organization and your job title, but omit the dates you worked for the organization.
Once you do have an interview scheduled, will the interviewer know your age by your looks? The interviewer probably will guess your age, but interviewers try to guess the age of every person they interview. Will the interviewer discriminate because of your age? If you don’t get the job, you may never know the real reason.
The bottom line is that many employers prefer seasoned employees and as a job seeker, your job is to find the ones that want you!
Hallie Crawford and Terry L. Wynne, Ed.S., LPC, BCC
Ceritifed Career Coaches
P.S. How do you know if your resume is good? Take this Resume Quiz to find out how to keep your resume out of the trash can.
