Experience Matters: Job Search Tips And Strategies For Overcoming...

Posted on Dec 17

• Originally published at selftaughttxg.com

I recently had the pleasure of attending an insightful LinkedIn Live event hosted by career coach Jessica Hernandez that addressed the important issue of avoiding ageism in a job search.

Jessica shared practical resume strategies and actionable job search guidance tailored for older professionals in the replayable session.

Since I just entered my 50s and am interested in a career change into the tech industry, this event piqued my interest, and I must say, in a short 30-minute presentation, there was a lot of valuable optimization advice and tips that can really give older job seekers a competitive advantage, further assisting in securing a new job. After the presentation, Jessica took extra time to answer questions and offer further support to attendees, so it's worth watching.

If you’re an older job seeker, applying these resume and job search strategies can help you shift the focus to your true strengths, while eliminating age-related red flags. Applying these strategies can result in a noticeable increase in callbacks and job opportunities!

I’ll be bold enough to call it the way I personally see it: ageism is discrimination. The more socially acceptable definition is “treating someone unfairly because of their age.” Define it as you will, ageism often leads to missed opportunities, biased hiring decisions, and unjust assumptions about a person’s abilities.

To underscore the impact of ageism in the job market, Jessica notes that researchers sent out thousands of identical resumes with the same skills, experience, and qualifications. The only difference: half of the resumes included dates signalling the candidates were older, while the other half suggested younger applicants. The results were striking. Applicants aged 40–49 had a 38% lower callback rate, and those aged 50+ had a 62% lower rate. In other words, even highly qualified older job seekers received fewer callbacks simply because of age-related signals on their resumes.

Jessica points out that ageism remains one of the most widely accepted and least legally protected forms of discrimination in the workplace. While statistics may fluctuate over time, age bias is here to stay, continually affecting older job seekers. That’s why the strategies and tips provided here will continue to be relevant.

The goal isn’t to hide your age, but to showcase the impact, value, and experience you offer, while removing un

Source: Dev.to