10 Things That Can Date You On A Résumé

Another BluePrint Résumés & Consulting Tip!

Today’s resumes usually consist of 1 to 2 pages, but can go up to 3 or 4 depending on your industry or level of expertise. For example, a federal government resume tends to be anywhere from 3 to 5 pages and a C-level executive can be 2 to 3. Unless it is a federal government resume, you want to be careful how many years you go back. Although, experience “should” be key, and some hiring managers and industries appreciate this, age discrimination is very prevalent today. Older applicants in their mid to late 40s, 50s and 60s have to be especially careful in telling too much on a resume. The following are some of the quickest and sure ways to date yourself on this important marketing tool:

1.      Your Email Account Provider- Still have a Hotmail, AOL or EarthLink account? You can still keep it for personal emails if you like, but for job searching, GET RID OF IT! Recruiters say this makes you look old. Better to get with the times and create an email address using Comcast, Gmail or another up to date service provider for job purposes.

2.      Your Email Address- Do you have your age listed in your address? How about the year you were born? This still tells your age. And it’s a huge red flag! You’re telling the recruiter or hiring manager right away that you’re 45, 55, 65, etc… and you never know who will frown at this and toss your resume right in the trash without even seeing that you qualify for the position in other ways; the ways that should matter most.

3.      Your Middle Name- Listing your middle name on a resume is not only antiquated, but depending on the name itself can date you. For example a name like Oscar, Walter, Henry, Jean, etc… and if your first name and middle name sound old fashioned that’s a double whammy! Of course you could be young and maybe your parents named you after a grandparent, great uncle/aunt, etc…That’s nice, but just use an initial instead, or better yet just leave it off period. A first and last name will suffice unless your name sounds too common. Now, if your first name sounds old fashioned well… just hope it’s overlooked.

4.      Adding a Suffix After Your Name- Skip the Jr., Senior, II, III, and so on. Unless you’re applying for a job at the same company as your father, there’s no need for this. It’s definitely antiquated and can raise suspicion as to how old you are.  Even if you live in a rural area where this is still commonly done, it’s better to just leave it off.

5.      Adding Positions Beyond 20 Years- Especially if you go as far back as the 80s. The rule of thumb is to add the last 10-15 years on a resume. We try our best to stick with 10, but in many instances it’s necessary to go back just a little further.

6.      Stating Many Years of Experience At The Top of the Resume- Even saying More than 15 Years of Experience in… can be a red flag right away! There are many postings that only specify 5 to 8 years of experience. Some job candidates think that if they have and show more than what a posting says this will make them appear more desirable, but in today’s times that’s not usually the case. Now, I have seen some industries, such as the insurance industry where depending on the position they don’t care. In IT there are many companies who will appreciate years beyond 15, but just to be safe only add this if the hiring manager already knows you, or knows the person who referred you who may have already put in a good word for you.

7.      Adding Old company names- I mean older names from the 90s and further back. So many companies have merged and changed names. For example, if you live in the Southeast and you used to work for a telecommunications company that has changed names through the years, a hiring manager can tell how old you are by this. So, let’s say the company was Southern Bell and now it’s AT&T, or Air Touch Communications which is now Verizon Wireless, and so on.  If you must list experience from the early 90s and your company’s name changed, just put the new name. This will at least show that you’re up to date on the new name and keep the resume from looking antiquated.

8.      Listing An Old College Name or Degree Title- I went to University of Toledo, which is in Toledo, OH which used to be called Toledo University and I majored in Business Administrative Assisting, which is no longer offered, but Business Administration is. We had very similar course requirements and electives, but things were different back then.

Georgia Tech (Georgia Institute of Technology) changed their business degree from a B.S. in Business Management to a B.S. in Business Administration. So now instead of a BSM it’s a BSBA degree. This was to keep up with the standard degree name in the job market.  See? They’re keeping up with the times too! Now although the change was made last year, you still want to show that you’re current too! Most institutions have changed from “college” in their name to saying “University” however; I have seen plenty of resumes where the candidate didn’t bother to change it.

9.      Listing Old Computer Skills- Even if there are a couple of companies out there who still use mainframe and Lotus Notes, I wouldn’t advise adding this to your resume! Unless of course that particular company is requesting this skill in the job posting. Old systems, programming languages and things that most companies have moved on from should be left off of your resume. Old versions too! V. whatever should be noted with the latest version. PeopleSoft is now Oracle (or some still say Oracle PeopleSoft), Peachtree is now Sage 50 Accounting and so on.

10.  Listing Hobbies- Now, I know most of you know better than this! However, I have seen one or two resumes this year with some interesting and non-related hobbies listed. Your fly fishing or drag racing hobby has no place on the resume. Most younger applicants know not to do this, so again add it and you’ll date yourself. Gone are the days of showing how well rounded you are.

These Are Just Some of the Key Things That Can Date You.

If You Know of Others Feel Free To Share Them!