I can understand why an organization would question a younger candidate for a position because they don’t have the experience stated in the position description. But why would they pass on an older candidate with more experience than meets the minimum requirements? I remember what a corporate recruiter said to me once: “We’re looking for a 30-year-old with 20 years’ experience.” Meaning, that a 50-year-old need not apply.
A recent study by AARP found that 14% of adults in 2023 stated that they had not been hired for a job because of their age. This reason could have been a perception by the individual and not a fact, but the sensitivity remains.
States are beginning to pass laws that covers all employers that do business in their state. Delaware, Connecticut, California, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and most recently Colorado have all passed laws prohibiting companies from requesting:
- a job applicant’s date of birth
- dates of school attendance or graduation
- and must redact dates and ages on all résumés and applications
However, a company can validate a candidate’s date of birth to make sure the requirements, like driving a car or serving alcohol, meet those mandated by the state.
There are ways to make age almost invisible on a resume for states that have not taken legal action to protect older candidates. Here are a few:
- For the older candidate, make sure the top five to eight items on the position description are explicitly covered and match your resume. Specific examples of experiences that parallel the job description are the best way to advance your candidacy.
- Don’t put your graduation year when identifying your educational diploma/degrees. However, added courses, online certifications and targeted seminars/conferences in the specific job field will move you ahead.
- You may want to put your dates of employment so the recruiter can see that you have not changed jobs every six months. However, do not add all of your jobs that go back beyond 15 or so years. That experience is probably outdated and could be a restraint to your candidacy. Your most recent experiences are more critical.
- Do not put dates on social media platforms as employers can simply cross-reference your resume with LinkedIn or similar websites.
- Make sure your technology skills, knowledge and competence are emphasized. The older you are, the more a company wants to make sure you’re technologically up to speed. List your tech competencies that the company must have in your field.
Some companies assume that if you’re older, you may not be up-to-date in skills. Your job is to not only dissuade them of that assumption, but rather show that the experiences you have had will help solve the problems they are now facing.
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