Is Age Discrimination Your Real Job Search Problem?

Recently, a man came to me complaining that after months of diligently sending out resumes, he hadn’t gotten a single job interview.

Age discrimination was the reason. He was sure of it.

Certainly, age discrimination is very real and rampant in today's job market. People may think you’re too young or too old.  

When I asked this man to describe his job search, I began to suspect that something else was at work.

If you're not getting interviews, here are a few things that might be hurting you.

Ineffective Marketing Plan

This man was ONLY applying for jobs online. This is one of the least effective ways of getting hired—especially for more senior candidates—but this applies to young people as well. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that you should never apply to jobs online. I am saying that you should limit the time that you spend on online applications to 15-20% of your job-hunting time. Spend the rest in more effective activities like networking.

Your resume doesn't have the right stuff for the ATS

Remember, if you're applying online, the employer is probably using an Applicant Tracking System (software that screens resumes). Consequently, if yours doesn't have the right stuff, it will languish, unseen, in their database. Many things that have nothing to do with your abilities will earn you a big “ignore” from the ATS.

Your resume doesn't have the right stuff (part 2)

Assuming that a living, breathing human being reads your resume, they may not be impressed. I've seen a lot of really awful resumes—and many that aren't awful, but just don't put the applicant's best foot forward. They don't make a good case for that candidate being the answer to the employers' problems.

I’ve heard many people advise job hunters that they should NEVER hire someone to write your resume. It’s your resume, they say, so you should write it yourself. OK, and it’s YOUR car, so never hire someone to fix your transmission. Always do it yourself. I think you see the problem with this line of thinking.

Writing resumes is a very specialized form of writing that even many who are good writers don’t do well. It is especially hard to write your own resume. I know because although I’ve written thousands of resumes for others, I don’t write my own. I’ve hired someone to do it.

Others think their resume must be great simply because they hired someone to write it--and maybe paid that someone a princely fee. Hopefully, they got what they paid for, but don't count on it. There are many charlatans and rip-off artists out there. Even after paying someone big bucks, you might be no better off than those who badly write their own resume. 

I recently got a call from a woman who had paid close to a thousand dollars to some crooked resume service. All they did was type in her contact information, the company names, titles and dates—and they were done. Ouch! That’s a lot of cash for five minutes of work.

Your LinkedIn profile is lackluster-or worse

You might think your LinkedIn profile doesn't matter in your job search because you are applying with resumes. But many employers are looking for candidates on LinkedIn--and recruiters spend their days searching LinkedIn. If you don't have a great profile, you're missing out on an important source of possibilities.

Plus, many employers who get your resume will also check you out on LinkedIn. They want to see what you say about yourself there, as well as what other people say about you. Be sure to have a number of good recommendations! Don’t neglect your LinkedIn profile!

You're applying for the wrong jobs

It could very well be that you're just not qualified to do the jobs for which you are applying. Or you're underselling yourself and the employer won't interview you, thinking you'll be bored. Don't waste weeks and months this way. Good referral interviews with people in the field can help prevent this mistake.

You're laser-focused on companies everyone else wants to work for

OK, maybe you'd love to work for Microsoft, Apple, or Google. Go for it! But realize that these companies are inundated with resumes. The competition is fierce. Get hired there, if you can, but broaden your search to other lower-profile companies that also provide exciting and lucrative places to work.

No contacts on the inside

Surely, you've seen this in the places where you've worked. The boss hires someone he met at a networking event or the friend of one of his employees. Check to see who you know on the inside. Be sure to keep expanding your network so you're more likely to have a connection for the next job.

Wretchedly Boring Cover Letters & Thank You Notes

A lot of the competition, maybe most of them, are sending bland, wretchedly boring letters full of sentences like this:

"I'm confident that my skills and experience are a great match for the needs of your company."

Saying the same bland, dull things that nearly everyone else is saying is only marginally better than saying nothing at all.

Lack of follow up

Remember that one of the three factors that win job interviews is enthusiasm. The boss wants to know that you're excited about the job and a phone call or email to follow up is a great way to show your enthusiasm-and separate yourself from all those who just send in a resume and wait.

Paying attention to these things and some of the other fine points of the job search can shave weeks and months off your search-and help you get a better job. Age discrimination is very real, but you can beat it.

Want to hop on a 15-minute call to discuss your job search? It’s free. Here’s a link to my calendar. Here’s a link to my calendar: https://calendly.com/lucrative-careers

Steve