Should You Hide Your Age During Job Search?
Older workers often ask “How can I hide my age on my resume?” They fear age discrimination and believe that concealing their age will help them avoid the issue. They remove dates, graduation years and other give-aways.
Here is a different approach:
- Nothing should go on your resume that is not relevant, including dates.
- Age is not something to “hide”.
- Age is not actually the issue.
Relevancy
Every single item on your resume should be relevant to the job for which you are applying. For example, if you are applying for an editing job and have a degree in English, the degree is relevant, but the date you received it is not. For the same position, your experience in page layout, in the mid-80s, is probably not relevant. The issue isn’t that it dates you, the issue is that it is irrelevant. On the other hand, perhaps you have experience from that era that IS relevant. In that case, by all means include it.
Apply the relevancy filter and the question of hiding age will no longer be important.
Nothing to hide
Your age is what it is. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. It doesn’t need to be concealed and it will not prevent you from getting hired. Whatever your age, it will probably become obvious when you interview. Elaborate attempts to disguise it are wasted effort. Instead of focusing on hiding age, job seekers should focus demonstrating how their deep experience is an asset to future employers. Don’t expect a vast number of years of experience to get you hired. Instead show a potential employer how that experience will solve problems and create value in the future. It’s all about what you can do now and in the future.
Stop hiding, start shining. Show how your experience is relevant and valuable.
It’s Not About Age
Young workers and older workers both worry that their age will prevent them from getting hired. Deep concern about age discrimination can cause job seekers to appear defensive when networking and in job interviews. It can also cause job seekers to blame their age when they don’t get hired rather than looking at factors that are under their control. Whatever your age, it’s important to believe that you will get hired if you show you are the best match for the job and have the greatest potential for solving problems for the hiring manager and the company. Focus on age distracts from focus on the real work of showing you are the right hire.
Eliminate paranoia and limiting beliefs about your age.
A relevant resume that brings out proven success as a promise of future value makes issues of age irrelevant. An interviewing style that demonstrates how you are the best person for the job eliminates age as an issue. Positive self-belief about yourself assures you will effectively share your abilities and get hired.
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