AGE-PROOF YOUR RESUME

LIKE IT or loathe it, but our society celebrates youth. The good book says age discrimination is illegal, but it still manages to creep in from unmanned gaps in company policy. Think about it. Have you ever come across a job advertisement that reads, `people over 35 are welcome and will be greeted with garlands and a red carpet reception'? Or even something that matrimonial advertisements occasionally have - something as simple as an `age no bar'? Unfortunately, people who find themselves on the wrong side of this invisible age barrier have it tough. They may find it extremely difficult to land an interview let alone a job offer. Companies do this for a number of reasons. The accepted myth is that someone in his late thirties or forties will have other obligations on his mind (family, finance, mortgage and other bags of worries) that will distract him from his job. Older candidates are also sometimes viewed as rigid and too set in their ways to be able to adjust to the new work environment.
However, there is hope at hand. Some résumé camouflaging can help you get that crucial foot in the door. And no you do not need to lie about your age. All you need to do is hide it. It will make all the difference when the company's HR executives sort through bundles of résumés.
Battling against the odds
If you think you are smart, recruiters are a wee bit smarter. They are well-versed with the tricks of the trade. The only way to outsmart them is to do it subtly:

• Specifying date of birth or age is not compulsory by law. So, keep away from spelling it out for all to see.
• Another clue that can date you instantly is your year of graduation. List your qualifications and a synopsis of your credentials without detailing the dates involved.
• Cataloguing each and every position and achievement right from your very first job is a strict no-no. Citing that miniscule project you headed 15 years back will do more harm than good. Remember that your résumé is not an autobiography. It is a very short summary of your achievements. Stick to the recent ones that display sufficient experience for the job in question. A rule of thumb is to go no further than 10 years back. If older noteworthy jobs merit a mention, club them as `Additional Experience' or `Previous Employment' without specifying the dates.
• Quantify your accomplishments to show your value. Draw attention to bottom-line contributions like affecting increase in sales, leading major projects, developing novel techniques, etc. Also, show that you are flexible, brimming with ideas and willing to learn.
• Even if you avoid dates like the plague, there are certain hints that may give your age away. They may have escaped your careful scrutiny, but will definitely catch a vigilant recruiter's eye. One such blot on the landscape is the use of dated phrases that pin you to a by-gone era. So, adopt a contemporary style and strategy with cutting edge words like `multi-tasking', `customer service', `innovation', etc.
• Moreover, specifying out-of-date skills like BASIC, COBOL and WORDSTAR programming languages will give you away. Take a refresher course if you have to before you apply and highlight your new skills that are in tandem with current technology and trends.
  Last but not the least, remember to look energetic and youthful, dress accordingly and walk the talk; else, all your efforts will go down the drain.

So, you can and should keep your age from sticking out like a sore thumb. Keep your résumé short and suitably sweet. It should reveal just enough to get them hooked and asking for more!

PAYAL AGARWAL