Four Tips For Older Job Seekers

Sometimes we focus on entry level candidates that we completely and inadvertently overlook an equally important population: The older worker. As pointed out on U.S. News & World Report's blog, someone 58 years-old may be out of work but not financially able to retire. Here are four ways to increase job consideration for the older job seeker: 1. Stay relevant with your skill set. Similar to how an out-of-work dynamo needs to keep their arsenal sharp, so, too should the older worker. Arnie Fertig writes in the post, "Show off recent training courses, certifications, or other credentials. If you aren't up to speed in your area of expertise, understand that employer rejection may be about your knowledge and skill sets, not your physical age." 2. Watch your jargon. Consider this: A young manager may feel awkward hiring someone who could be his or her parent's age. Age disciminatory, yes, but try not to call attention to your age by indicating years of service. Instead of saying, "Thirty years of experience in xyz," you can simply state, "In my most recent role at xyz, I accomplished..." 3. Remain active. One misconception of hiring managers may be that older employees are slower. So, this is actually an opportunity to showcase the exact opposite. Fertig advises, "A Personal Interest resume section that references significant physical activity displays that you remain energetic and in shape. Community volunteerism and participation is another way to display that you do more than just what's expected." 4. Highlight your most recent work. Of course, you have decades of valuable experience to bring to the table but considering recruiters and hiring managers may only focus on the past eight to 12 years of relevancy, do just that: Focus on the last decade. In fact, Fertig recommends abridging your resume so you don't list your entire career history and instead, include this line: "Details of prior professional experience available upon request."

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Four Tips For Older Job Seekers

Vicki Salemi

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Vicki Salemi