Is Age Really Nothing but a Number?

In my ideal world of recruitment, hiring decisions would be based upon the skill set, experience, and personality traits that would make an individual succeed at their chosen career path. The immediate response should be "duh..." Unfortunately our current state of recruitment is so convoluted and hybridized, it has not quite figured out how to coax these aspects out of applications and resumes in an effective manner. Enter the human element. The human condition has internalized biases and predispositions. What is up for the debate is if these biases/predispositions are nature or nurture, what isn't is that they are there. One aspect of a candidate that is taken into consideration (whether implicitly or explicitly), and absolutely, morally and legally, shouldn't be, is age.

This aspect affects employees and candidates on both ends of the spectrum. For example, the seasoned professional is overlooked for entry-level roles because of the assumption of the potential request of a higher salary than the recent graduate. The younger millennial is overlooked for the management position because of the assumed lack of experience and maturity to handle complex problems. The seasoned professional is overlooked for the tech heavy role, because of the assumption he will not quickly adapt to the software platforms required for the role. The younger candidate is overlooked for a very visible role within the organization, because of the assumed incompetency from internal and external clients. For all these examples, they are assumptions. With any assumption, there are isolated case studies of truth but overall the results are across the spectrum. The decision should be based on the candidate and their ability to perform, learn, and execute.

As a candidate, there are potential strategies that can be used to combat these assumptions before any interview or true assessment of personality traits and skill set has been made. Controlling the narrative and directing the focus are essential to the solution. In turn, these strategies can potentially lead to more interviews and more job offers.

Work Experience

The way in which work experience is presented can affect the overall view of the candidate. Each of these strategies has a different goal in mind and should be used if the goal is the desired effect you wish to have.

For the more seasoned professional, if the goal is to be more comparable to younger peers, limit your work experience on your resume. For any position, the standard rule of thumb is to limit your work experience to the last ten years. Any experience prior to that limit will not be considered relevant by the recruitment team. Going further back will only open the candidate to assumptions before even being interviewed to truly assess the candidate.

For the younger counterpart, if the goal is to be seen as an established professional, limit what experience is exemplified in your resume. Please note this is for the professional with 3-5+ years of experience. If you are an established professional in your industry, there is no need to add your short stint as an intern to an irrelevant industry while you were in college. There is no need to add your stint at a retail store, restaurant, etc. while you were in school, especially if they are irrelevant to the career you have chosen and the position you are applying for. Focus on your relevant work experience. Truly flesh out the responsibilities and accomplishments within those positions. Control the narrative and direct the focus.

Education

When it comes to education, the tactic is the same for both professionals. The requirement for a specific degree or education is the only thing that truly needs to be assessed. The recruitment team needs to know that you have met the requirement and that is all. That being the case, on your resume, state what school you went to and what degree you received. The year you graduated is not required until the official application has to be submitted and the verification/background process has begun. The only individuals that need to ensure the year of their graduation is seen on their resume are recent graduates to explain the limited work experience. Once again, with no year stated in the resume, no assumptions are made. Control the narrative and direct the focus.

Social Media

Social media has truly expanded past Friendster, Tom and MySpace, and the exclusive college student-only platform that Facebook was at one point. It has integrated itself into the job market and will only continue to do so.

LinkedIn has many great benefits, from interacting with colleagues within the same industry to discuss best practices, to networking with local professionals, to even finding your next job. One aspect that unfortunately becomes integrated into these interactions is physical appearance. For example, in an article on Forbes discussing appearances, the author cites a psychologist who has studied looks for 30 years, Gordon Patzer, a Ph.D. from Chicago.

"'In this bad economy, as people age, employers and colleagues perceive them as having less energy and being less effective' ... 'Being older in the workplace is looked at negatively,' he adds." 1

In effort to limit assumptions based on age, you may want to increase your focus on applications and correspondence via job boards and email/phone respectively.

The next aspect is the, often unintentional, personal brand that is presented on social media platforms. Are your social media profiles employer-proofed? Have you adjusted your privacy settings accordingly? Are you using pseudonyms or modified versions of your name? What results do you get if you Google your name? Don't get me wrong. Everyone is entitled to enjoy themselves in whichever way they see fit. Just ensure you are aware of your audience and how that may affect perceptions, especially if it is available to potential employers. If a young professional seeking to obtain a director position is Googled and their most recent exploits at a bachelor/bachelorette trip are plastered all over social media, it may not assist them in their candidacy.

Depending on your current phase in life and chosen career path, an unfortunate truth is age can potentially affect your opportunities. These strategies are not intended to deceive. They are meant to control the narrative and direct focus. Let the results of your work speak for themselves.

What story is your resume and social media Telling? Has age affected your job search? Are there any additional questions you have about your job search, interviewing or resumes? Please comment below or on our Facebook page. You may see your question featured on one of our posts!

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This post was sponsored by Stallion Consulting Group, LLC.

Stallion Consulting Group provides one-on-one career coaching and partners with companies to improve their recruiting processes.

Sources

1 Sinberg, Laura. “Think Looks Don't Matter? Think Again.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 11

July 2012, www.forbes.com/2009/12/05/appearance-work-pay-forbes-woman

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