Make Your Resume Ageless

If you are a job seeker over 40 and are concerned that your age can get in the way of being considered for a job, be sure that your resume does not give away your age. 

The language, format, and content you include in your resume can date you.  Here are ten tips for writing your resume that will reflect your qualifications for the position you are seeking rather than revealing how close you are to collecting retirement benefits.

Tip one:   Avoid language that signals that you are concerned about your age.

Job seekers over 40 often open their resumes with adjectives like “Energetic” or “Youthful” to convey that they can compete with younger applicants.  Instead of using language that highlights that you are older, show how engaged and current you are with state of the art business trends and practices.

Tip two:  Exclude stating your total number of years of work experience.

Just because you have over 25 years of experience in an industry or profession does not mean that you are more successful or competent than a younger applicant.  It is what you accomplished in those 25 years and how you can leverage your experience for a new employer that makes you valuable.  Your competitive advantage is not total years, but your results in how you led people or projects, attracted or retained clients, made or saved money, or introduced or improved business processes.

Tip three:  Limit your resume to the most recent 12 -15 years of professional experience.

If you try to document your entire work history of 25 to 30 years of experience, inevitably you will include industries, roles, business practices, and technologies that have become obsolete.  Even if this experience was novel or impressive at the time, it has lost its relevance and value.  Your resume should focus your most recent  12 – 15 years’ experience and the most current business practices and technologies you have applied.  If you have experience from over 15 years ago that is critical to selling your qualifications for a position, add a section called “Additional Accomplishments” and do not include dates.  This will support your candidacy, but not draw attention to your age.

Tip four:  Omit your dates of graduation.

When you list college or graduate / professional degrees, do not include the dates, which will pinpoint your age.  Also, if you received a degree or professional credential over 20 years ago, what you learned at that time may be out of date or irrelevant now.

Tip five:   Include recent certifications and training.

If you have completed a professional certification or training in your industry or in leadership skills, business processes, or state of the art technology, include a section on your resume entitled “Recent Professional Development”.   Demonstrate any knowledge or specialization you have gained in emerging industries or professions that are in demand.  Convey that you stay current and are a lifelong learner.

Tip six:  Downplay titles.

Many organizations have become flatter and have eliminated layers of management.  If you focus on your past titles or any entitlements they suggest, you may be perceived as someone who is not able to function in a more modern and streamlined organization.

Tip seven:  Showcase your project and team based experience.

Companies are currently organizing work around projects that are managed by teams.  Highlight your project based experience and demonstrate your skills and accomplishments working on teams.   Provide examples of experience leading or participating on global or virtual teams.  List any project management certifications or training that you have attained.

Tip eight:  Sell rather than tell about your experience.

Job seekers over 40 will describe themselves as  “Veteran” or “Seasoned” to indicate that they have extensive work experience. However, these words suggest that you are older, but do not promote the actual experience you have that is relevant and valuable to the potential employer.  Gain the employer’s interest in your experience by citing the projects, clients, and technologies that you been involved with and the results you achieved. 

Tip nine:  Include metrics to demonstrate your effectiveness.

Highlight your worth to a potential employer by quantifying the results you have achieved.  Stating in your resume that you are “Proficient in” or “Excel at” at something is vague, unconvincing, and does not communicate what you can contribute to an employer.  Use numbers and percentages to show how many people you managed, the dollar value of a sale, revenue from a project or new client, and money saved by your efforts. Again, this is an advantage over younger candidates because they may have not had the opportunities yet to achieve comparable results.

Tip ten:  Communicate that you are versatile and flexible.

Change is the only constant in business these days.  Industries, companies, and jobs continuously evolve and you must show that you are able to adapt.  Include examples where you have dealt successfully with industry and business change:  rapid growth, mergers, acquisitions, downsizing, and re-organizations. Project that you are a change agent and welcome new ideas and situations.

A resume is one of your key tools to promote yourself for the next step in your career.  You are creating and substantiating the image that will be perceived in the job market.  If you strategically choose the language, format, and content you use in your resume, you will be seen as a viable and valuable candidate and age will not be an issue.

Membership isn’t growing, but it’s not for a lack of trying. You put a strategic plan into place, are starting new initiatives, and your organization has a positive reputation. Still, the numbers aren’t increasing as much as you’d hoped, or, they might even be dropping. The answer you hear over and over again? “It’s the economy.”

It’s not news that with high unemployment and budget cuts, people are trying to reduce costs in any way possible – unfortunately, that can include association dues. While this can be a valid reason for declining membership, how can you present yourself as a strong leader despite the lack of results?

1) Remember that hiring managers are well aware of the challenge association leaders are facing: the economy and your industry may even speak for themselves. If you’re leading an association which focuses on architecture or construction, it will likely come as no surprise that membership is down.

2) Mention accomplishments that have nothing to do with membership: For example, did you build a strong team your first few months on the job? Did you reduce costs by eliminating services with a low-ROI?

3) Consider including case studies in your executive profile: Case studies give you an opportunity to tell a broader story than your resume will allow. For example, stagnant membership might not be something you’d want to highlight. However, if it had been consistently declining for the five years before you came on board, and you were able to stop it (or even slow it), explain your approach. If you’ve developed a long-term plan that should show results as the economy improves, outline your strategy and include your anticipated results.

Obviously, it’s important to do all you can to keep your association healthy. However, during tough economic times, there are limits to what can realistically be accomplished. If you’re concerned about how this will look to a future employer, use the above strategies to highlight all that you are doing to strengthen the organization.

Based on two North American studies, it is clear that many executives are still opting to follow templates rather than creating a distinctive, strategic resume. Historically, professionals have been told to list their career history in a chronological format, presenting their career progression in reverse sequential order. Functional resumes, on the other hand, have been used to disguise career issues by categorizing the career history under competency headings. There are other strategic options. Executives rarely choose to implement those.

As a leader and innovator in the Canadian resume writing industry, Graham Management Group (GMG) actively keeps a finger on the pulse of the market. In the largest research study of its kind, we evaluated 1000 randomly selected resumes that we received in 2009. These resumes were sent to us from senior executives, managers, and other six-figure professionals across Canada. The survey found that 25% of resumes were structured in a format that did not position the candidate most effectively. Practitioners often debate which format to use: chronological or functional. However, typically, many completely ignore a third option – a strategic combination resume format that may be a hybrid of the two.

There is a strong argument for applying a reverse chronological strategy whenever possible. A survey recently conducted by an independent research firm on behalf of Accountemps suggests that hiring managers veer away from functional resumes. 150 senior executives from 1000 of the largest North American companies were asked if they prefer a chronological resume versus one organized by job functions and skills. 75% of the respondents interviewed said they prefer the chronological format. Only 17% indicated that they prefer functional and 8% had no preference.

Hiring managers dislike functional resumes because the skills and relevant accomplishments are separated from the employment history. This makes the resume difficult to follow, as the reader cannot connect the candidate’s accomplishments with the position they held at the time.

Career Professionals of Canada, the national Canadian association administering the Certified Resume Strategist Credential, suggests that “while it is true that recruiters prefer the reverse chronological resume, there are occasions that call for other formats. Whenever possible, give preference to the reverse chronological format to keep the individual‘s responsibilities and accomplishments under the respective job titles. If you must, use a hybrid combination of functional and reverse chronological that will strategically minimize your client’s obstacles while meeting the employer’s needs.”

Based on the research, it may be best to avoid the functional or skill-based format. Since most recruiters prefer resumes to be formatted in a reverse chronological format, unless there is a major career barrier to address, there is no reason to veer from this strategy.

In many circumstances, a hybrid combination of functional and reverse chronological will strategically minimize obstacles and meet the prospective employer’s needs. If the candidate is attempting to transition into a new industry or role, or is addressing a major career lapse such as a lengthy sabbatical or career gap, then such a strategic option should be considered. Whichever format you choose, ensure that you mitigate all career barriers and present a compelling and readable story to draw in the hiring manager.

Sharon Graham is Canada’s Career Strategist. You can download the groundbreaking research report from Graham Management Group here >> Research Study: How Does Your Resume Compare?

Canadian Resume Research Study: 96% of resumes from six-figure candidates appeared to come from templates commonly found on the Internet.

These days, with the economy just starting to rebound, the Canadian labour market is flooded with executive resumes for senior-level professionals looking for work. The current market has created an unfortunate situation for thousands of job seekers. Many of them are highly experienced and successful – and yet they find themselves in need of a new position.

In the largest Canadian research study of its kind, Graham Management Group evaluated 1000 randomly selected resumes received in 2009. These resumes were from senior executives, managers, and other six-figure professionals across Canada. The study found that 96% of all resumes assessed appeared to come from templates commonly found on the Internet.

The competition for executive positions is fierce. These days, everyone seems to be applying for the same positions because there aren’t many available. If you are in an executive search, you’ll need to design a resume that is unique and cannot be missed. You need to stand out from the rest and be seen in the pile of hundreds of executive resumes submitted for the position.

It may have been years since you have written an executive resume and you aren’t sure where to start. Chances are good you have pulled out your old resume updated it. Or, worse, you are using a resume template provided from your word processing application to design an executive resume! The problem you’ll encounter is that the job you are applying for most likely has hundreds of other applicants too. When the recruiter reviews all of the executive resumes, they will all look the same.

Executive resume writing can be very difficult, and most successful people transitioning in Canada are submitting a perfect document. You must design a resume that is not from a template. Your document must stand out from the rest. An executive resume that is not from a template shows the organization you are not afraid to step outside of the box.

This is your career and you don’t want any mistakes. If you are a Canadian professional who is looking of a senior-level job, the best thing you can do for yourself today is to hire a resume service based in Canada to design an outstanding executive resume for you. A strong executive resume writer will know exactly how to design a high-impact resume that will prominently focus on your accomplishments and successes.

Venturing into the Canadian job market during this economic turmoil does not need to be a scary prospect. In Canada, you have the advantage of foresight and a strong support base. Ensure that you have the best chance of success; consider a Canadian professional executive resume writer to help you achieve your goals.

Sharon Graham is Canada’s Career Strategist. You can download the groundbreaking research report from Graham Management Group here >> Research Study: How Does Your Resume Compare?

When I first entered the careers field as an executive talent agent a decade ago, I asked those with expertise and experience for their words of wisdom and advice. Universally, at some point in the conversation, the colleague offering advice about executive careers would say that the candidate’s resume could make or break their campaign. I carefully researched and discussed differing resume writing styles with experts and soon found out what made some writers better resources, in my opinion, for my executive clients. Along the way, I learned to recognize different stylistic preferences and grew to respect, even revere, various approaches.

During the intervening years, the world of executive career management including recruiting, and in turn the role the resume plays in a job search has been changing. I think it is not an exaggeration to remark that we are living a revolution. Dramatic changes in communications, technology and the economy all have shifted the relationship between prospective employee and potential employer which in turn, are forcing career industry professionals to adapt. The Career Thought Leaders Consortium is one fine example of this trend

Many in our profession have recognized this sea change and have polished their skills, updated their knowledge, added new services and transformed their businesses.  They  continue to push our field forward and provide the high quality  services that more sophisticated clients demand. Executive clients today are more knowledgeable.  They can get information via Internet search, through virtual communities and online discussions.  Unfortunately for some,  they master this arena by spending their own time in the job market while in transition.

What I am getting around to is that today we are light years away from the olden days of paper resumes and are living with a complexity beyond the days of broadcast faxes and mass emails. Today, a candidate’s competitive advantage is not just a great (but static) resume documenting a fantastic track record of accomplishments. Their future career success stems from how an individual communicates and distributes and makes available their reputation and unique problem-solving capabilities to those who can hire them and offer them additional opportunities to learn and grow their success.  Sounds like a networking process doesn’t it?  Sure, the individual has to have the goods, but just putting it in writing is not enough, just communicating this in one well-crafted document is too little and just sharing this when asked is usually not enough to ensure  a career.

The best possible resume is a good starting point for discussion; a better strategy is not only to build a strong reputation (good resume content,) but to also be visible.  Achievements have always been necessary and still are necessary, but are not sufficient for success.  How an individual communicates their value has broadened from just a “dam good resume” occasionally distributed when the candidate was actively looking or asked to submit their credentials to being a full time, non-stop personalized PR campaign.  This means being visible and searchable online.

We’ve been learning that having a personal website or online portfolio or Linkedin profile alone seldom attracts enough attention or generates enough desired contacts from prospective recruiters or hiring managers. These online pieces are major parts of a larger effort that includes an online resume, a marketing presence that is vibrant, updated regularly and contains relevant data differentiate those who get noticed. Think: what did you do today, what will you be doing tomorrow that demonstrates your abilities. It is said that past performance is no guarantee for the future. To be competitive, executives have to prove themselves, visibly speaking, in real time. In addition to producing results, they engage others.  They develop new connections. They interact. They give to others. And when the timing is right, they learn about a new position and make a move. In other words, the resume is now an important part of the overall marketing plan implementation process.  There is an intention to attract attention and pull opportunities towards the candidate.  Contrast this to when all career marketing/job searching efforts were designed to push the candidate to potential employers.

Today’s environment means game-changing strategy and a new style for executing an effective search for candidates and the modern career industry professionals who support them.  The best solution is for every employee to always have the mindset and behaviors of a potential candidate:  maintain their visibility with up to date information and messaging. There’s no worry about anyone discovering they are looking for a new job because they are always open to new opportunities that are able to find them even when they are not actively looking for leads to a new job. They never are out of “job search mode” but their standard MO is inviting connections, sharing  ideas and being approachable.

If you are targeting a position in Canada, you don’t want a recruiter to discount you just because you don’t know the country’s norms when it comes to spelling and grammar. After all, in Canada, there is no such thing as a paycheck. Your goal is to secure a position and get a paycheque.

To overcome the Canadian recruiter’s scrutiny, you’ll need to make some subtle, but important changes to your resume. By showing that you have impeccable spelling and grammar, you’ll pass the first test with flying colours.

Canadian employers regularly run into the issue of “Canadian English” versus “American English” when they are assessing resumes that come in from applicants around the world. If you submit a resume with a glaring mistake, the recruiter may feel that you do not care enough to do your homework. This could be just enough to eliminate you from the running.

Canadians have a way with words. Although Canadian English is not exactly the same as American English, it is not British English either. We employ subtle differences in spelling and grammar, which are unique to our country.

Canadian spelling takes on influences from our British and French ancestry, with a touch of Americanism. For example, in Canada, just as in the United Kingdom, we insert “u” in “labour market.” Yet, we opt for a “z” in “organize” just as our American friends do. A hint of French comes out when we use “centre” instead of “center.”

Here are some examples of words that are sometimes spelled incorrectly in resumes and cover letters:

When you write your resume, targeted to the Canadian market, make sure that you change the default language on your Microsoft Word application to “Canadian English.” This will help ensure that the spelling and grammar you employ conforms to Canada’s standards.

Don’t rely solely on your computer as many Canadian words are spelled correctly when you mean to say one thing, but may be incorrect in another scenario. For example, you may want to indicate that you practise a certain technique, and now you are opening a practice to start teaching others that technique. Note in the first sentence “practise” is a verb. In the second, “practice” is a noun. Your computer would not be able to catch this difference, so you must be diligent in your proofreading.

To pass the detailed review, your resume and cover letter must have no errors at all. If you still are unsure of the spelling of a word, use a good Canadian dictionary such as the Canadian Oxford Dictionary to verify your work. For acronyms and abbreviations, refer to The Canadian Dictionary of Abbreviations. If you are unsure of grammatical requirements, refer to a Canadian style handbook such as The Canadian Press Style Book. If you need help with your Canadian career documents, check out Best Canadian Resumes and Best Canadian Cover Letters.

Modern technology and the speed of communication have influenced how we use language. The Internet has exposed us to inconsistencies, differences, and mistakes from all over the world, making it more difficult to ensure correct use of language. Whatever you do, employ consistency in your use of language and you will earn that Canadian paycheque.

Sharon Graham is Canada’s Career Strategist