Leaving Information Off Resume to Combat Age Discrimination

[groundloop]

You'd think someone with two degrees and over 20 years of experience in my field would have an easy time finding a job. Not if you're over 55. I was first laid off after over 15 years with a large company due to corporate downsizing in 2014. It took me 4 months to land another job, but that one only lasted about a year because I wouldn't go along with some unethical stuff the owner was doing. I've been out of work for nearly 6 months now, have applied to 75 jobs for which I'm well qualified, and have only a handful of interviews to show for my effort. I've had phone interviews end with "What year did you get your degrees?", which is a slightly less illegal way of asking "how old are you?".

I'm thinking I'll just make my first degree disappear, all my work shown on my resume is associated with my second degree anyway. If I pretend my first degree never happened it'll take 5 years off my age when answering the question "what year did you graduate?", plus it should reduce the perception of being overqualified. They'll figure out that I'm over 50 in a face to face interview, but at least I might get my foot in more doors. The only possible downside is that my second degree is from a small school that's not well known (first degree is from a well respected school), but on the other hand that might help with the 'overqualified' prejudice.

Thoughts?

[jtuck004]

1. Sure, do that. One never knows. And immediately get rid of everything you can't drag

in a box to a room the YMCA.

Because you are past the prime hiring ages of 20-35, you may not find anything else.

'Cause that is how things are now...

[mackerel]

2. Have you considered substitute teaching until you find something?

[Citrus]

3. It doesn't matter

You can remove all the vague and remotely possible references to your age, but all it takes is a simple search to discover someone's age. Nearly all employers, with or without an HR department, do searches on applicants who make it past the initial weeding-out process. It's quick and easy and can eliminate the "undesirables". It's astonishingly cheap to do background checks on people if the employer wants to dig a little more. Whether with a simple search or a real background search, it takes only seconds and to the employer, is well worth it.

This is a horrible practice, but there's no way to combat it.

If you want to know what's available online about yourself, just do a simple Google search. And if you want to know what might show in a background check, it might be worth a few dollars at one of the background-checking sites to find out. (KnowX is now owned by LexisNexis and is fairly accurate and comprehensive.)

I honestly don't know what the solution is. Some sources recommend being upfront about age in the cover letter. Other sources say to ignore it completely (and, I presume, to pray they're one of the few who don't check). I've come to the conclusion that it's all crapshoot and all any of us over 50 can do is keep trying.

[dofus]

4. I have known for a very long time now

that leaving off information that might identify your age is the smart thing to do.

Absolutely don't give the year you graduated from high school or college. Don't give the specific years you worked for a particular company.

Your resume can say things like: Worked for X company for three years doing such and thus.

I once got a job with a resume that so thoroughly obfuscated my actual employment history that my employer was completely astonished when she finally figured out my actual employment history.

Kudos to me.

[cadoman]

5. I haven't hit 40 yet and I'm already culling the back end of the resume

I don't know how much it can combat age discrimination, but at a certain point it just helps facilitate the interview process. Technologies come and go. No one needs to know what you did with systems or tools that are no longer used.

I leave off all my internships, brief stints, and even my fresh outta college jobs. They just don't mean squat.

Generalize your earlier experience and trim it till it looks significant to fresh eyes. Focus on your latest and most relevant work and hope the interviewer has the integrity to do so as well.

Also, if you're interviewing with a younger manager, do what you can to put them at ease. A component of age discrimination is age intimidation--older workers know what they're doing and how to stick up for themselves and that can be a challenge for a green manager.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

6. Because I spent 25 years out of the workforce and raising children,

when I got back in, my resume had no dates on it whatsoever, just how long I'd been in various jobs. It worked.

To be clear, I did not have an actual career, and I was going to be looking for entry level work, quite different from your situation.

[bucolic_frolic]

7. From a rewrite experience, this spring

Rework the resume. If I can do it, anyone can. I feel like more of a whole person.

Objective is gone. Sections are Profile, Highlights, Skills, Experience, Education.

I ditched the highlights. There just aren't any.

Leave degree dates off the education

Only the last 10-15 years are relevant in any section.

Action verbs, no first person.

Profile is kind of a 2 or 3 sentence of what it is you've done. It's a teaser to the rest.

At the end, the sections should have enough words and ideas that bounce off and reinforce one another.

The result is an emerging personality that fits together.

I never did it this way before. Now it makes sense.

[JanMichael]

8. I think I have hit my career acme at age 54.

I have a fairly responsible position in small local government agency.

Have tried repeatedly to move to a bigger area and made it to the finals for high level positions on several occasions but never got the offer.

I like my job a lot but it is the B team in a C area. Sure I have several splashy great projects underway but still just the captain of the JV squad in the AA league.

I think I have maxed out due to age and no MA. I think my resume is great and I interview well but something just doesn't click. Maybe need to shave off the graying beard. Other than that in great shape and look younger than I really am.

It's a little/lot disappointing. It sucks. It is also terrifying to think about getting fired. No way that I could claw back to the top of the B team lead now. Too old. I would be making half or less than now. There would be little chance of recovery.

[milestogo]

9. The problem is that someone can always find out your age on an internet search.

I basically have changed the kind of jobs I look for. Now I am doing only contracts that are very focused. They are not long term. They WANT someone with a lot of experience. At this point I'm just trying to make money to support myself.

The traditional interview questions are so bogus. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? How do you answer that when you are close to retirement?

NOT WORKING, RELAXING, DOING WHATEVER I WANT.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

10. re: "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?"

My answer: Making more money than your CEO due to my value, what I learn and the skills I gain and improve.

IMO, it never hurts to be of the mindset that anything is possible and have your sights high. I'm contracting as well.