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Does this Resume Make My Butt Look Old? (Or How to Age-Proof Your Resume in 3 Easy Steps)

You’re considering a new opportunity—good for you! So, you pull out the old resume and think, “I just need to add my last job, and it’s ready to go, right?”

…Um…not so much…It probably needs a lot more work…first, you’ll need to age-proof that resume!

“Come on…” you may be thinking, “They can’t see my wrinkles on a resume!” Well, they sort of can…

Here are three items you’ll need to review, to ensure they don’t imagine the scent of Bengay wafting from your resume pages.

1) Dusty Dates

Let’s start with the major dead-give-away: Dates! If you write that you graduated from Columbia University in 1977, the person reading your resume might think you graduated with Alexander Hamilton (Columbia’s class of 1777.) Yes, I know you’re proud of that fine institution, and you can (and should) keep your degree on your resume—including your major (only if relevant) and “Magna Cum Laude” (if earned.) Just delete that darned date!

The same can be said for other dates on your resume. Let’s say you’re pleased to have worked at IBM back in the 90’s. But probably anything you did for the prestigious Big Blue involves an obsolete technology, process or practice. Instead, consider lumping all of your jobs prior to 2000 under the heading of “Related Prior Experience.”

2) Fossilized Formatting 

Remove the following from your header right now: street address, home phone and any email address that ends with aol.com or Hotmail.com. While you’re at it, scratch the section called “Objective” and the disclaimer at the bottom that reads, “References Available Upon Request.” Now, here’s what you need, instead:

Contact Information

The Header of your resume should list Your Name (Large, Loud and Proud,) your cell phone, your email address (which should be yourname@gmail.com; not CoolGranny1960@sbcglobal.net.)

Professional Summary

On a modern resume, this section replaces what used to be the Objective. As with any executive summary, you will write this last, and will not use “Professional Summary” as the section title—that’s like titling your top section, “Header.” Instead, use your targeted job title such as “Registered Nurse,” “Information Technology Leader” or “Operations Manager.”

Reference

These are a waste of valuable space on a resume. Save this separate document for the interview.

3) Old-School Skills and Technology

Remove any references to technologies that will show you worked in the dark ages. These might include the words “typing” (now “keyboard skills”) or Lotus 123 (Yes—I miss it too—but you now have mad Excel skills, don’t you?) Don’t mention your COBOL knowledge, either. As with everything on your resume, if it’s not currently relevant, it should not be there.

Following this check-list can help you present yourself as a ‘Thoroughly Modern Madison’! And although a great resume cannot get you the job, it can help you garner that first phone call—and hopefully, a face-to-face interview. And, yes, there are ways to age-proof that interview meeting as well, but first things first.

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How to Work Effectively With Recruiters

“R-E-S-P-E-C-T / find out what it means to me” is a line made famous by Aretha Franklin, and one that recruiters have adopted as their mantra. This is probably because there is a love-hate relationship between candidates and recruiters. Specifically, candidates love what recruiters can do for them, but at the same time, aren’t fond of the fact that they need their services.

One can hardly blame candidates, since over the years recruiters have been branded as uncaring, money-hungry vultures who have their eyes set only on the bottom line. Whether there is a grain of truth to that belief or not, I can’t say for sure. However, what I do know is that recruiters have been, and will continue to be, a viable resource for candidates. For this reason, recruiters shouldn’t be dismissed, but instead appreciated for the role they play in the career services industry.

Many recruiters suggest that job seekers don’t fully understand what a recruiter’s function is in the job search process, and that this is where the lack of respect originates. In an effort to educate job seekers, below are some pointers that recruiters want every job seeker to know.

 

Respect what recruiters do. Although recruiters don’t work for you, the good ones will work with you. With a hiring company in mind, a recruiter will make recommendations on how you should change your resume, the way you interview and/or the way you dress. If this is the case, heed his or her advice. Recruiters have insider information on the specifications the hiring organization is searching for, and the clues they provide are based on that knowledge.

Respect what recruiters can’t do for you. The recruiter’s allegiance is to the hiring organization. Therefore, he or she is going to spend his/her time and resources on scouting a candidate that fits the hiring organization’s specifications, not on finding you a job. That’s why it is important to realize that recruiters are just one source of getting interviews. Your job search plan should include other methods of gaining employment such as networking, answering want ads and responding to Internet postings.

Respect the interview with a recruiter. Save your war stories for your local bartender. When you contact recruiters, be discriminating about the type of information you provide. A meeting with a recruiter is an interview. Don’t allow the informality of the conversation to convince you otherwise. During a meeting with a recruiter you will be judged on your performance; therefore, be professional at all times.

Respect a recruiter’s time. When a recruiter has recommended you for a position, that means he or she has invested time in your career; therefore, respect their time, return their phone calls, and provide them feedback on the company after any interview. Recruiters are especially interested in knowing your interest level, your thoughts about the interviewer, the rundown of the interview process, and the next step agreed to by you and the company.

Respect a recruiter’s reputation. Recruiters aren’t just out to fill a job order. Their credibility is dependent on the caliber of candidates they send on interviews. As a result, recruiters look for candidates who know what they want, present themselves professionally, and are out to win job offers.

 

When working with a recruiter, a partnership is formed; and in order for the relationship to be successful, there must be a mutual respect between the two of you. Recruiters want to work with candidates who want to work with them, not candidates who are having difficulty finding a job and want to be rescued. If you can effectively convey to a recruiter that you have a sincere interest in working with him or her, you’ll find yourself in turn treated with respect.

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How to Get Beyond the Gatekeepers While Job Hunting

Getting beyond the gatekeepers can be one of the most challenging for job-seekers. Gatekeepers can be those most obvious, such as administrative or personal assistants to the company’s hiring managers, department heads, and executives. But, gatekeepers can be those in less obvious roles as well, such as assistant managers, supervisors, engineers, and so on.   Your first thought might be that only those within some sort of support role serve as gatekeepers, yet directors and executives can be gatekeepers as well. Gatekeepers are merely those who put obstacles in front of you — demonstrated by dodging questions, failing to answer emails, and eventually pawning you off to someone else.
 
Gatekeepers are generally tasked to… Provide limited or no information to job-seekers.  Point every applicant down the same path for applying; Comply with company procedure pertaining to hiring practices   Sometimes, job-seekers get short-fused when having to deal with gatekeepers —unfortunately forgetting that gatekeepers are people, simply doing their jobs. 
 
Need to get beyond a gatekeeper? Try a technique that works for those in sales, such as initiating and subsequently striking a quick relationship with those on the other end of the line, so you’re not such a stranger whose only motive is to get more information. There are several resources to help you talk with people and subsequently build a relationship on the fly, including Christopher Gottschalk’s book,How to Start and Make a Conversation: How to Talk to Anyone in 30 Seconds or Less.
 
Another technique is to ensure to sound “human”when on the phone. Sometimes, we get nervous when making important calls, making our voices crack, our brains misfire, and our overall personality to come off as mechanical. We have our notes in hand, but we read from them practically word for word, rather than using that material for nothing more than quick reference.
 
Don’t have a problem being a little tricky? Another not-so-great idea is to ask for the hiring manager by name, and then mention “he’s expecting my call.” Beware however. This recommendation can backfire, as seasoned gatekeepers are wise to these sneaky strategies. Gatekeepers are typically very good at what they do, and have become attuned to the tricks that job-seekers sometimes use.   Still can’t get by the gatekeeper? If no, you’re not alone. Getting beyond gatekeepers is rarely an easy task … if easy, everyone would be doing it, making gatekeepers unnecessary.  
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