Resume
writing and
"ageism" in
recruitment
Stereo typing people based on their age is sadly a common problem in Australia and it is estimated that over 80% of mature employment seekers have suffered some form of ageism in their job search.
However, there are still a number of organisations
that seek out diversity
in age across their teams and value experience,
so age can also work for you as opposed to
always working against you. Therefore limiting
your applications the the right types of
positions can often help avoid unnecessary
disappointment.
What to look out for in a job description:
Employers will never say "looking for someone in their mid-20's" in a job advertisement as it's breaking discrimination laws. Instead, an employer will use subtle phrases such as "two years experience" to help guide applicants into knowing the type of candidate they feel will be best suited to their particular positions.
Here we take a look at some typical phrases used in job advertisements.
Graduate with two years experience
It's quote obvious that when an employers uses
this type of phrase, they are seeking someone
who is young, just starting out on their career
and usually happy to take lower pay and work all
the hours legally allowed ! Don't expect too
much flexibility on age here
Minimum two years experience
In contrast to the above, it's a phrase that's
open to interpretation and will depend on the
context of the wording within the job
description, and the description of the team.
For some, they will be more than happy to review
a resume with 40 years experience, for others
they are quite simply looking for a young
assistant.
Experienced manager with at least 10
years experience
As seasoned professional's dream in which the
employer obviously values years of experience to
young and dynamic. That's not to say the role
wouldn't be equally challenging - far from it.
But the will probably be looking for stability.
Newly or Recently Qualified
Although open to speculation, there's a very
good change the employers is hedging towards
someone who has qualified and has a total work
experience of less than 7 or 8 years. Those with
20 years experience who have recently qualified
should still apply, but do understand
potentially they are looking for a young
employee.
Making adjustments to your resume
If you still feel that your resume just isn't getting the required results and employers are still too busy discriminating against your age, then the following lists some useful hints and tips to improve your chances by making direct amendments to your Resume / CV:
· Remove
education dates on your Resume / CV
· Don't list your
entire employment history if you don't have too
· Remove reference
to old IT applications such as DOS or WinME etc
· Keep you resume
focused on the job description; don't list
unnecessary pointers
· Remember your
resume is a selling tool and needs to sell you
· Don't ever lose
belief that you can and will succeed
Never be negative about the market
Remember, don't get frustrated about age as it won't do you any good. Simply accept that you can't please everyone and that there are always going to be different jobs, for different people, and for different age groups.
Our
resume
writing experts understand the challenges you
will face.
We can provide career advice and assistance on many topical
subjects as well as adapting your resume to suit different markets.
itouch
professional
resume writing experts
Tel: 1800 450 527
email: admin@resume-services.com.au
Combating ageism - quick tips:
●
Limit your career history to 25 years and
avoid long winded / bloated resumes
● Consider removing dates of qualification
● Don't
emphasize skills or job experience that
has no relevance to the position you
are
applying for.
● Ask for open
and frank comments and
feedback on your resume.
● Remember that not all companies are ageist,
and your age can
work for you, not against you.