Uncover the root cause of problem
D
ear Sam: I desperately need your help. I am 55 years old and am having a difficult time finding work. I am beginning to think it’s because of my age. Am I high risk? A liability? I’ve attached my resume for your review. — Theresa
D
ear Theresa: The concern I have with your resume is that you have not fully explored your roles, responsibilities, challenges, differentiating experiences and key contributions for your past jobs. Since you only date experiences back to the year 2000, your age is not playing a role during the resume-screening process. I would, however, omit the dates on your education. By presenting the years you graduated with select certificates, you are unnecessarily adding years to your candidacy.
The issue with your resume is that it lacks engaging content and packaging. Each of your five positions is described in a handful of brief, fragmented sentences. You create no visual interest with this approach — no bullet points, no selective formatting and no prioritization of content; therefore, you are likely not holding the reader’s attention beyond the average fourto seven-second screening process.
I suggest that you revamp your resume to explore your roles in a brief paragraph (this will disguise your short, fragmented statements), with accomplishments or highlights explored in bullet points. Put the key takeaway in each bullet point in bold font to add visual interest and to “pull” the reader through your resume. Once you do this, I think you will create more excitement about your candidacy. You have great, related and relevant experience; you just need to present it in a more attractive package.
Lastly, I noticed that your salary history is included as Page 3 of your resume. Never send this information out unless it’s specifically requested. If you are sending Page 3 with every application, that alone could harm your chances of getting in the door if your past compensation rates are deemed to be too high or even too low.