Long Ago in a Far Away Place

Many stories begin with the trope, “long ago in a far away land.” We expect to be transported to an unfamiliar place and time.  Unfortunately, some careerists use this technique when writing a résumé.  We feel as though we are climbing on grandfather’s knee to hear the tale of a time when 3.5 inch floppy disk was king and everyone was blown away by DOS.  We see skills such as Fortran and dBase.  On the contact line, we see a fax number listed.  Pan-Am is listed as an employer, followed by a description as “the world’s largest international carrier.”  Imagine a 27-year-old human resources generalists reading this résumé.  What is a floppy disk?  Is dBase something new?  DOS - that means “Dozing Off Soon” when texting. Why is that on his résumé?

All of those items could appear on the résumé of a vital 47-year-old candidate, a candidate with many more years of success ahead of him.  However, reading ancient history and outdated references take him out of the running.  If you want your story to end with “they lived happily ever after,” take a few notes.

1.) Show only 10 to 15 years of experience on your résumé.

Your recent experience is the most relevant to the reader.  Some candidates will argue for including a job from 22 years ago because they accomplished great things that relate to their current goal. It will look worse if your early experience is stronger than your recent experience. It may appear that you are in decline.  Secondly, whether it’s legal or not, ageism exist.  You may find yourself getting more interviews if you truncate your résumé. If you are concerned about the relevance of this early experience, a hybrid style résumé will allow you to reference some of your past without making you seem like you are in an episode of Gone with the Wind.

2.) Omit years from your education.

It is not necessary to show dates of graduation on your résumé.  A degree from 1981 may not seem as relevant as a more recent degree, especially a technology-related degree.  Also, we must pay attention to the potential for elimination based on age.

3.) Remove all outdated skills and certifications.

Delete all technologies and skills that went the way of the dinosaur. Only show skills, licenses, and certificates that you need in your next job.

4.) Delete anything that portrays you as out of synch with today’s world.

One of my pet peeves is when someone writes “Email:” just before their email, as if the reader cannot recognize an email address.  Another hint is to choose one phone number for your job searching and place that on your résumé.  There is no need to label your numbers as “phone” and “cell.”  That is considered very old school. Please do not include a fax number.  You will not be receiving interview requests via fax!   When listing your skills, do not list “email” and “Internet.” That would be akin to mentioning your ability to use a telephone.