A Résumé for Every Generation: Part 1 of 3

Fashions, music, and technology change dramatically over the decades.   Your résumé and your attitude should evolve over the years if you wish to stay relevant and in-demand in the workforce. In this three-part series, we will look at the challenges and solutions for writing a résumé in every major life stage.  

Just as products go through a lifecycle (introduction, growth, maturity, and decline), careerists also have a lifecycle.  Smart marketing helps to maximize sales for products in every stage.  Résumé marketing will maximize your interview rate. Let’s examine résumés for job seekers age 40+, age 30-40, and age 20-30.  In this article, we’ll start with résumés for the age 40+ job seeker.

“Everybody's talkin' 'bout the new sound. Funny, but it's still rock and roll to me.” (Billy Joel, 1980)

If you were listening to that tune in junior high or high school….this article will ring true for you.  If this is your generation, you remember playing your Sony Walkman and it was all about the boom box when you went to the beach.  You may be facing career challenges for the first time in your life.  Once you dreamed of retiring early.  Now, you may be fearful that a job loss could impact your ability to retire in your 60s.

Imagine walking into an interview with pushed-up jacket sleeves á la Sonny Crockett from Miami Vice.   You are totally pumped up after listening to your mix tape.  Not a good scenario for 2012, right?  Well, if your résumé has not been optimized for your life stage, you might as well push up those sleeves because your résumé is your first impression and yours is not making the cut.  Here are the top 6 strategies to promote your strengths in a way that captivates the market.

6.) Dates

It is not necessary to show the dates you earned your degrees.  In fact, we are advising you to remove those dates!  Also, remove any dates you have attached to awards earned, membership start dates, or other items.  The only dates you must show on your résumé are your starting and ending dates for the jobs displayed.

5.) Buzzwords

You may think we are going to tell you what buzzwords to use.  Actually, in the modern résumé, we want to use straight-forward language that describes our achievements.  Relevant and current industry terminology is fine. However, be careful with dated buzzwords. One of the buzzwords from yesteryear that we want to omit from our résumé is “Y2K.”  It just screams irrelevant. Another example is “Bricks-and-Mortor” or “Bricks-and-Clicks.”  Every serious business is online, so using these late 1990s terms can be the kiss of death. There are dozens of examples of dated buzzwords.

4.) Technologies

Be careful to only show technologies relevant to your future job.  The technical expertise section on your résumé is not a place to record all that you have used in your current or past jobs.  Remember, we are filling the needs of the employer.  If the skills are no longer in demand, delete them from your résumé.

3.) Contact Information & Social Media URLs

Nothing shouts, “Party like it’s 1999” than a fax number listed on your résumé.  It is appropriate to show your name, best phone number, email, LinkedIn URL, and blog URL.  Another tip is labeling your email.  Writing “email” before your address is a sign that you were not raised with email familiarity. 

2.) Résumé Format & Style

Make sure your résumé style is current. Styles change slightly from year to year. In a matter of ten or more years, they change a lot.  For example, if you started your career in 1989, you probably had an objective statement on your résumé.  Today, objective statements are obsolete.  It is all about showing the value you present to an employer.  Profile statements are used to showcase your relevant skills, experience, and characteristics.  Also, résumés are much more sophisticated in 2012.   No longer are résumés very plain documents with Times New Roman font. In fact, we recommend scrapping the TNR font and opting for a sleeker font like Calibri or Candara.

1.) Truncating Your History

Your résumé may be screened by someone who was not born yet when you started your career.  I am perfectly aware that age discrimination is illegal and wrong. However, it does exist.  Perhaps it is a subconscious bias that candidates over age 40 are less flexible, not in sync with today’s technologies, or less able to adapt to a new company culture.   That is one reason why only showing the most recent ten to fifteen years of history is important. A second reason is that your most recent ten years is the most relevant to the hiring company.  Let me toss out one more classic ‘80s song to bring this message home. In the words of Ms. Jackson, “What have you done for me lately?”  

Of the generations, this could be the most challenging or it could be the most lucrative.  It’s your choice. If you are unsure about your résumé, write to me.  I would be happy to provide a free critique.  The good news is that you are in the maturity phase of your career.  This phase is characterized by a peak in experience, expert-level knowledge, a high degree of emotional intelligence, and a valuable professional network.  Follow my strategies to increase your success!