Let’s be honest, ageism exists and it sucks. People with a ton of experience and ever more wisdom face the harsh realities that some companies will want to hire younger. And cheaper. However, understand that it’s the interview that can dictate your outcome. In the interview room, you can take control. You can grab them by the arms (not physically of course) and shake their belief in you as a viable candidate. As someone that can demonstrate value and not only be a solid fit for the role but someone they should’ve hired yesterday. An interview room is your last stand in proving just how well you’ll gel with them. Be one of the team members, and a liked one at that. An interview room is your one hour to let fate take its natural course, but not without a little push in the right direction. The tricky part for an accomplished job seeker? Getting into that room. Red flags are a real thing. Recruiters do have an “eye” they use in 6 seconds to see if they should keep reading. So do yourself a favor, eliminate (or at least reduce) those red flags and get yourself into that interview room! Here are some quick examples in how to help alleviate the red flags on the resume, and concerns of being an older job seeker: What are some ideas on how you can avoid looking outdated or irrelevant on your resume or in your job hunt? What are some issues you may be facing as an older and more accomplished job seeker?

1. 10 QUICK &
EASY WAYS
TO AGE-
PROOF YOUR
RESUME

2. O M M M !
HAVE A FOCUS IN
YOUR SUMMARY'S
MESSAGING
3 SENTENCES TOTAL, PARAGRAPH FORM
Sentence 1 shows your role and general expertise.
Sentence 2 shows your value offerings, possibly an
achievements.
Sentence 3 shows how you are able to help them out
and touch on resolving their pain points due to the
opening.
Do not say anything beyond 20 years if you mention
length.
Be specific on your title, recruiters can sometimes lean
heavily on titles (even if it's a bad habit).

3. !
*
STICK TO 1-2
PAGES MAX!
UNLESS YOU'RE REQUIRING A FEDERAL
OR CV-BASED FORMAT.
People are busy. Do not make more work on the
hiring managers or recruiters. Get to the point!
If you cannot expand upon your proficiencies in
2 pages, you're writing too much copy!
Think of relatable skills and achievements to get
the reader excited.

4. NOTES
LEAVE SOME
DATES OFF
THE RESUME
DROP THE DATES OFF YOUR
EDUCATION, AFFILIATION &
LICENSURE AREA

5. *
DO NO GO
BEYOND 10
YEARS OF WORK
EXPERIENCE
YOU NEED TO MAINTAIN
RELEVANCE AND ANSWER THE
ADAGE "WHAT CAN YOU DO
FOR ME NOW?"
If something really neat comes from 2010
or before, add that specific line of dialogue
under a Key Accomplishments section
before the Experience section

6. !
Please make sure you aren't using a
dated email provider or email
address
USE A
RELEVANT
EMAIL
ADDRESS
Gmail, even Yahoo, work well. Drop the MSN and AOL.
Do not leave them wondering about your birth date, so avoid ones
like MadBiker1967 or even worse, HardcoreBoozehound69.

7. H U G !
C O F F E E
S N A C K
DO NOT LIST
DATED
SOFTWARE
ONLY RELEVANT TO WHAT THE JOB
TARGET IS
And list the most recent edition of that respective
software (without fibbing of course)

8. AMP UP
YOUR
EXPERIENCE
SECTION
You need to demonstrate more
accomplishments, value offerings,
and metrics over tasks.
This is your meat and potatoes, needs to be addressed accordingly. Let it
shine with some tangible results!
This Problem-Action-Result (PAR) sentences.
Only speak to the most recent 5-7 years of experience for sake of relevance.
?
A S K

9. ADD ATS-
COMPLIANT
KEY SKILLS
You want to work on incorporating keywords and
strategies for the digital application process. You need to
add this Core Competency Section. This will help you
stand out more during the application.
**
Add any other buzzwords you can find from the job descriptions or LinkedIn
endorsements section to filter into your resume to comply with the ATS.
Not only do these systems organize and sort applications, but they can also be
programmed to screen candidates based on what content you include in your resume.
Recruiters can search for submissions using keywords and phrases to identify
candidates to advance through the hiring process.
To find some, use the job description of your targeted roles, or the endorsements
sections on LinkedIn profiles from leaders in your business.
Continue to add to these as you acquire more experience that brings along new
methodologies, leadership strategies or styles, and additional technical aptitude.

10. HAVING SAID THAT,
THE WORK FROM PRIOR
TO 10 YEARS OF
EXPERIENCE CAN GO
UNDER A PREVIOUS
WORK HISTORY AS
FOLLOWS:
Previous Work History (Prior to 2010):
Title, Company, Location (note: do not put actual years you worked as that specific role)
Title, Company, Location
Title, Company, Location
!

11. HOW CAN WE
HELP YOU ON
WITH YOUR
RESUME OR ON
YOUR JOB HUNT?
JOBSTICKERS.COMJOBSTICKERS.COMJOBSTICKERS.COM