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Roadblocks to a New Job: Your Age or Your Resume?

While it is true that Baby Boomers have been hard hit in the current job market, age is generally not the biggest factor getting in the way of their job hunt.

The biggest factor is a dated resume that fails to deliver what today’s companies and hiring managers want.

Standards for resumes have changed since many of the Boomers applied for their last job. For one, most resumes are first read by a computerized Applicant Tracking System (ATS). These systems “read” the resume by looking for specific information – such as a summary, education, work experience, certifications, memberships (possibly), and awards. The system looks for keywords based on the job announcement, and scores the resume based on the keywords the program can read. Only the top scoring resumes are forwarded to the hiring manager.

A second change is that resumes are now expected to focus, not on tasks, but on accomplishments. The hiring manager will read the resume to be sure the applicant has accomplishments; the best applicant doesn’t simply perform tasks, but contributes to a company’s success.

If a resume is not picked by the ATS, the hiring manager will never read it. If a resume does not show how the applicant meets the job requirements with accomplishments, the hiring manager will decide against an interview.

A third change centers on resume format and content. Resumes are longer; the rule about sticking to one page no longer applies. Summaries have replaced objectives. Certain phrases have disappeared (notably, “References on request”) and information on marital status and health is actively discouraged.

Is your resume stuck in the standards and style of 5, 10, or 20 years ago? Let me ensure it conforms to current standards. Contact Robin’s Resumes® and smooth your re-entry into the job market.

Resume Style Insights

A graphic designer asked an online forum if she should highlight her skills by creating a unique design for her resume. Every hiring manager who responded answered, “No!” They wanted a resume formatted for easy reading, scanning and printing. If a professional graphic designer has to reign in her artistic talent, you should, too. That means:

  • Using a standard font like Arial, Times New Roman or Helvetica If you wander away from standard fonts, the computer that receives your resume may not have that font. Suddenly, your resume file is unreadable.
  • Being careful with clip art, color or other ornamentation. Black-and-white printers/copiers reduce every color scheme to grey. Some scanners turn ornate designs into a mess. Besides, you never know how a hiring manager will react to a resume bordered by flowers, in green ink, on baby blue paper. It is OK to be creative if you are in a creative field and using a paper resume to hand to a person you know; however, even then, you will need to also provide a standard resume which is able to be scanned.
  • Avoiding templates. Some Word templates cause receiving computers and scanners to choke. In addition, if you use a Word template, your resume will look exactly like the hundreds of other applicants using the same template.
  • Making the resume easy on the eyes. Somewhere along the line, a human being will read your resume. Save bolding, italics or capitalization for your most important points; use it consistently and sparingly. Chose a font size of at least 11 pt for Times New Roman or 10 pt for Arial or Helvetica.

With resumes, content always counts more than style. Make sure your style lets your content stand out.