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Older job hunters fear interviews where their age
cannot be concealed and where an initial response of
dismay on an interviewer's face, quickly hidden,
confirms their anticipation of discrimination. The
mature job seeker often prefers the anonymity of
mailed resumes, e-mailed inquiries, Internet
applications, and telephone contacts.
Interviews, however, are the goal of everyone who
wants to work. There is so much pre-selection and
screening before an interview is granted that simply
getting that far in the process provides at least
some expectation of an offer being made. It is when
interviews are not forthcoming that real concern is
needed. Ask yourself if you may be inadvertently
triggering screening filters by the documentation
you submit.
Review the following three "red flags" and identify
if your own presentation could be outdated and
needlessly sabotaging your employment campaign.
1. Old Educational
Data
You
may have obtained a degree or completed a vocational
course many years ago. While you obviously cannot
change the year of your graduation, you can
concentrate on detailing other training received
more recently. Any classes, workshops, or seminars
attended over the past couple of years, even
something in progress, stamps you as an individual
who is continuing to learn and grow, someone aware
of recent developments and open to new ideas and
up-to-date approaches.
2. Job Titles
The
title of a job is designed to explain, in brief,
your typical duties. Over the years, such titles
change even when tasks and responsibilities remain
similar. Review the titles on your resume that may
reflect what your position was called at the time
but no longer meshes with the current business
environment. "Secretary," for example, is now rare.
Similar job duties, flexed for innovations in
technology, are now referred to as "Administrative
Assistant," "Office Manager," "Office Analyst," or
"Personal Assistant." Review your local classifieds
and concentrate on the titles that seem to involve
job tasks you have performed in the past. Then
review your resume and applications and update job
titles accordingly.
3. Jargon
You
probably have a resume which lists the duties and
responsibilities of each of your prior positions.
Re-read those descriptions, concentrating on the
actual words you have used, especially the verbs
(actions). Do those descriptions date you? Some
obvious phrases are the old "variety duties"
which are now generally called "multi-tasking," and
"assisted with" now translate as "customer service."
"Typing speed," so ubiquitous thirty years ago is
now invariably "keyboarding skills." There are many
other less obvious areas. A way to address them is
to go to the newspaper or Internet and review a
number of job descriptions in your field. Any words
or phrases that are unfamiliar to you need to be
researched as they may describe a task you have
previously performed under a different description.
If you cannot find the information you seek, check
with a library, an employment agency, or someone in
the field. If the new phrase fits you, substitute it
in your resume and all future applications. If it is
important enough to be included in a job
description, it deserves your attention and
neglecting the required investigation may doom your
job search efforts.
Your goal is to have a potential employer read your
resume and be familiar with the terms you use. It is
your responsibility to be adaptive, flexible, and
avoid being screened out due to inappropriate
vocabulary. Don't expect an employer to take the
time to figure out whether you really have the
skills being sought. Remember that resumes are used
to screen OUT - to reduce the "possible interview"
pile to a manageable size.
When your resume and written applications have been
meticulously age-proofed, practice the same
terminology verbally, with a friend, to be ready for
a thoroughly up-to-date self-presentation when that
inevitably soon-to-be-scheduled interview arrives.
Virginia Bola operated a rehabilitation company for
20 years, developing innovative job search
techniques for disabled workers, while serving as a
respected Vocational Expert in Administrative, Civil
and Workers' Compensation Courts. Author of an
interactive and emotionally supportive workbook, The
Wolf at the Door: An Unemployment Survival Manual,
and a monthly ezine, The Worker's Edge, she can be
reached at
http://www.unemploymentblues.com.
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