10 Job Search Tips for the Mature Worker

Throughout the years as I've worked with clients who are over the age of 50, they often express concerns about their age and how it will affect their job search. Comments such as, "I'm not very good with computers" or "I don't understand social media" are just a few of the concerns I've heard mentioned by older job seekers. In addition to their personal fears, when I take a look at their resumes, I often see many red flags that clearly point to the fact that they are a "mature worker."

To overcome these fears and red flags, I've developed some tips to help the older job seeker be more competitive in the job search world:

1.  Stay Up-to-Date with Your Computer Skills:  If you are concerned about not having strong computer skills, do something about it. If you are currently employed and your employer offers reimbursement for trainings, sign up for a course. If this is not a possibility, conduct an Internet search to find computer trainings in your area or possibly some trainings conducted on the Internet. YouTube may be another option. If you are good at self-teaching and you have the software program on your home computer, work on honing your skills every day.

2.  Remove Obsolete Technology from Your Resume:  Unless it is relevant to the position for which you are applying, remove any out-of-date technology from your resume (for example, DOS operating system). Keeping it on your resume only dates you.

3.  Get Up-to-Speed with Social Media:  Get active with LinkedIn, and if you are not on it, sign up. Whenever a potential client contacts me, I always check to see if that person has a LinkedIn profile. If that person doesn't have one or if the person has one but has a bare-bones profile, I always wonder about whether or not this person embraces change or stays up-to-date with managing his/her career.

4.  Don't List Both a Landline and Cell Phone on Your Resume:  If you have both a cell phone and landline, REMOVE the landline (home) number. Very few younger workers have a landline, and by listing both on your resume, you are announcing you are an older worker. Note: If you only have a landline and not a cell phone, then just include the phone number on your resume without the words "home" in front of the number.

5.  Don't Include Your Year of Birth as Part of Your Email Address:  It's time to get a new email address if the email you are using is janedoe1960@email.com.

6.  Reconsider Using an Old Email Address from the 90s:  If you are using one of the first personal email addresses available from the 1990s, then you may want to consider using another service such as Gmail. I had never thought about this tip before, but a client who is in his mid-20s, commented recently about an older email address stating, "People still use those addresses?"

7.  Don't Include Your Entire Work History on Your Resume:  Recently, I worked with a client who was in his 60s. When I reviewed his resume, he had included all of his work history since the early 1970s. If you're concerned about ageism, then you definitely do not want to include your entire career path. Most employers are concerned about your recent experience (10-15 years) and what you've accomplished in those positions. Obviously, each client's situation is different, and sometimes a job seeker needs to include experience from the early years (especially if he/she is changing careers back to an earlier occupation.) This can be very complicated on how to best present yourself on a resume, and in situations like these, it is best to seek out a professional resume writer to assist you.

8.  Were you a Nontraditional College Student?  If you were a nontraditional student and graduated from college within the past 10-15 years, then it may be advantageous for you to include your graduation date on your resume, because hiring managers may assume you are younger than you are.

9.  Physical Fitness:  Personal interests typically should not be included on resumes; however, if your interest is being physically active, then it would be advantageous for you as an older job seeker to include it on your resume. For example, a walk-a-thon to raise money for a charity could be included under a heading such as "Volunteer Activities," but if it is not a volunteer activity (for example a 5K you participated in), then perhaps a heading such as "Community Involvement" or "Community Activities" could be used.

10. Your Hair:  Several years ago, one of my clients (who had a full head of gray hair), mentioned that if she landed an interview, she was going to color her hair. I had never thought about this before, but coloring your hair to remove the gray will make you look younger. You may also want to consult with your hair stylist. Ask about styles that could make you look younger, but would still be appropriate for your age.

Do you have any additional tips for a job seeker who is concerned about his or her age? I would love to hear them!

About the author: As a career strategist and certified interview coach, Connie Hauer has 10+ years of experience delivering effective coaching programs that help clients reach their goals. Read client success stories here: mncareerpro.com