6 Executive Resume Writing Tips to Combat Age Discrimination
You are nearing retirement age, but you are still passionate about what you do. Yes! You still have great ideas and change impacting strategies to execute. Who’s thinking about retirement? Not you.
Many executives who are near retirement age are choosing to continue to work because they find their work rewarding. However, many also find that they are concerned about facing age discrimination. Especially if they must launch a new job search campaign.
The ugly truth is that age bias is a reality. Another truth is that in our heads, the discrimination factor is a much bigger problem than it is.
So, let’s begin by evaluating your fears and we will then move on and cover applicable strategies to revive your executive resume and make it appear as young as you feel.
Change the Way You Feel About Aging
I’d like you to know that I have helped hundreds of executive-level job seekers land dream positions in the latter part of their careers by way of personal branding.
Nearly every executive who was concerned about age discrimination learned that it wasn’t as bad as they thought. The problem wasn’t their age as much as the way they were marketing themselves on their executive resume.
If your resume is communicating “I’m old. My ideas are dated,” no one is going to hire you. True. Yet, you can change this. Easy fix.
Before we move on to do-it-yourself strategies that will help you rejuvenate your resume, view the following mind-reframing video. I believe you will find this YouTube video quite motivational.
How to rejuvenate your executive resume
What did you think of the video? Ready to visualize and attract your new, amazing job? Let’s get to it then.
1. Spruce up the design of your resume. The old black-and-white resume is not going to help you project a youthful and fresh-thinking perspective. Review our modern resume samples for inspiration.
2. Condense. I don’t believe that a resume should be one, two, or three pages in length. There is no magic number. What I do know is that unnecessary or unfavorable information needs to go. Go over your resume and weed out the unnecessary. Modern resumes are crisp, energetic, and succinctly get to the point.
3. Remove old technology and old phrases. Are you still referring to outdated software, applications, and programs? Get rid of information that dates you; instead, translate the old into the value those experiences offer today.
4. Use charts and graphical elements to help move your story forward. Not only are complex, multi-layered concepts easier to process when they are presented in a graphical format, but graphics make resumes look really cool.
5. Add your social footprint to your resume. Set up a LinkedIn profile and include that profile on your resume. This will immediately help you exude a social media savvy candidacy.
6. Level-up your marketing pitch. Finally, but very important—add a value proposition to your resume. This is a modern strategy when writing your executive resume.
The old resume immediately introduced an Objective Statement right after contact information, which is an outdated practice.
The new? A value proposition. Take a look at how companies use value propositions to differentiate themselves. Nowadays, you must brand yourself as companies do.
How?
Write a 2-sentence punch tagline that offers differentiating value to your new employer. You can learn more here about writing your value proposition/brand statement by reading this post.
If you need our help rebranding yourself for a new job search, please review our resume writing packages.
Good luck and remember that age is nothing but a number. What recruiters are looking for is the right candidate!
