I posted this on another group about ageism and thought you guys would benefit from it as well.

Age discrimination, unfortunately is a reality and companies that won’t hire people over a certain age have to be totally clueless about the many benefits and advantages they’d gain by hiring “older” workers.

After skimming through many of the postings I want to share some things and ask some questions.

It’s pretty unanimous that most of you have applied for umpteen jobs and can’t seem to get hired. Okay, so there are two things to look at here. I am curious as to how many people have sent out countless resumes but don’t get interviews, opposed to how many people are going on interviews but can’t seem to snag the job.

I have a feeling the first scenario is more likely to be the case….

When I learn that intelligent, hard working people, with a decent work history are not getting interviews, I have to believe the problem probably has something to do with the resume. I say this as a professional resume writer, who’s had 13+ years of experience dealing with clients who have wonderful histories, but lousy resumes. I’ve had clients of all ages, but the majority are well over 40, with many who are into their 60s.

When I get a prospective client, I ask him/her to send me a copy of the current resume. I do this for several reasons. First, I provide each individual with an in-depth critique of their resume, at no cost to them. Also, since I don’t have “one price fits all” rates, there are certain things I look for in the resume that gives me what I need to provide the fairest quote.

That being said, I’ve learned that it doesn't matter how smart the person is, how much education they’ve acquired, what level on the corporate hierarchy they’ve reached, or the salary they have received. There is typically one common denominator. Their resume is appalling! I’ve had numerous clients who were earning well into the six figures, yet their resumes were horrifying – truly shocking in some cases and they weren’t getting interviews. Once they received and started sending out the new resume, the interviews came almost immediately, and in 8/10 cases, it led to offers, multiple in some cases!

I’ve never had a client, of any age, who has NOT gotten interviews! Trust me, they certainly would let me know. Yet, when they do contact me, which is often, it’s to tell me they had X number of interviews, with Y offers, and are now gainfully employed. I’m not making this stuff up!

On the other hand, if you are getting interviews but the buck stops there, it’s likely that you’re not interviewing well. Here, the reasons and problems are endless, starting with one’s appearance (clothing choice, hair, makeup, etc.) to verbal and nonverbal communication, behavior, attitude, and more.

I actually hesitated to write this because I didn’t want anyone to think I was doing this in order to get clients. I simply wanted to share my 13+ years of experience working very closely with thousands of people who are looking for jobs.

I just wanted to offer some ideas about where the problem might stem from and give everyone something to consider. (I am not at all implying or saying the problem is with any of you.) The issue is many resumes and/or how you interview might inadvertently be giving off the wrong impression, particularly if you haven't done this in 20, 30+ years! It's no one's fault other than the companies who discriminate against their best group of workers!

#ageism #resume #over40 #interview #age discrimination