4 Ways To Age-Proof Your Resume

A breadth of experience, combined with a solid career progression are prized by many employers. Unfortunately, the biggest concern for many job seekers who possess those assets is age discrimination. Particularly those of a certain age.

There’s no doubt that some employers do discriminate. However, often the reason they are reluctant to hire candidates over 50 is because they are afraid they won’t be current with their skills or familiar with not-so-newfangled things like social media.

While to-date there is no anti-aging cream for your resume, there are ways to ensure that your resume doesn’t make you look old and, maybe worse out of date. Here are four.

Out-Dated Email

While it may sound silly, nothing screams old louder than a @aol or even a @yahoo, email address. Yes, 20 years ago is it demonstrated that you were ahead of the curve, but those days are over. While you can keep your old email address for friends or family, opt for a more current email address, like @gmail for your job search. Be sure to choose an address that’s business appropriate. For example, your name or a variation of your name.

Advertising College Graduation

Education is important. It’s one of the first things that recruiters and employers look at. But there’s no need to advertise your age by including dates of attendance and/or the year you graduated on your resume. If you graduated 15+ years ago there’s no need to include your GPA either. Remember this doesn’t apply if you’ve just finished completing your MBA.

Listing Every, Single, Thing

Out-dated resumes often have long lists of duties and responsibilities. They sound like reverse-engineered job descriptions. This is because resumes began as job histories. Today, resumes need to be marketing tools. Make sure that you have your best stuff—skills and top achievements—on the top third of the first page of your resume. You need to entice your reader to read more.

Not Including LinkedIn

No, this post isn’t about LinkedIn, you already know that you need to have a LinkedIn profile. Be sure that employers know you are on LinkedIn by including a link to your profile on is on your resume. First, you are telling recruiters and potential employers that you are using current job-search techniques. Second, it helps an interested reader find your profile, which can be difficult if you have a common name like me.

Yes, it’s true that some employers discriminate based on age. But, many more appreciate the experience and knowledge possessed by a more seasoned employee. It’s essential to let recruiters and potential employers that you’re not old-fashioned. Let them know that you are up-to-date with your skills and current with technology. That combined with a positive attitude and a smile will take you a long way.