Age Does Matter

A candidate sent me a resume for the post of Project Manager. I let out a chuckle when I read this…

Age: 48 (but looks younger in person, more like 38)

And the word 38 was highlighted bold.

In reality, we do face with some form of age discrimination. So, it would be naïve to think that age doesn’t matter.

If you are writing a resume, it’s good not to put your personal particulars right on page one. For some sample resumes, check out Allyhunt’s FREE sample resumes. It is in hybrid format which is very popular among recruiters and HR professionals.

FREE Sample Resumes

Instead, focus on your profile summary. Your strengths should be prominently highlighted.

If you are able to demonstrate your flexibility, eagerness to learn new things and familiarity with the latest technology that relates to your career path, you may still stand a good chance.

Not all employers discriminate. But most may have second thoughts of offering you on permanent basis. If you have the skills and expertise they are looking for, contract or freelance terms may be offered. In that regard, play a smart game by stating that in your resume to show your flexibility and openness to explore other types of employment.

I’ve a good friend who wrote about what to do after retirement. She has a very positive outlook of life and recently, she even took up a Master’s program. If you are in that age category, read it to be inspired.

Retirement - What Next?

Keywords In Resumes

Keywords and keyword phrases are an important element in every resume of the 21st century. Today, the emergence of job portals that allow electronic skills search makes the exercise of putting the right keywords an almost a necessity.

Pause and take a minute to jot down your skills set and rephrase if necessary to reflect the common use in your respective field. For example, if you have done some in-house training on how to sharpen your staff selling skills, the proper keywords to put would probably be “Sales Training”.

So, go and get to know your keywords of your job specialization and industry.

As a guide, I am listing down the top 10 common keywords and keyword phrases for the sales, marketing and customer service.

1. Product development
2. Brand development
3. Corporate communications
4. Channel sales
5. Competitive market intelligence
6. Contract negotiations
7. Key account management
8. Customer relationship management
9. Sales presentations
10. Media affairs and press relations

Read further on resumes:-

Simple Truths About Resume Writing

My First 30 Seconds When Screening Resumes

Yes, 30 seconds is all it takes for a resume to make an impression. And I can tell you it can be less than 15 seconds to make up my mind if the first few things I am looking for in screening a resume are not found.

So, what exactly are the first few things that most recruiters look for so that your resume has more than the 30 seconds view time?

1. Overall layout – at one glance, it’s presentable to the eyes. Have the right headings at the right places. Use paragraphs and bullets to highlight facts. And you show your face - photograph indicates you are confident and serious.

2. Skills set – that’s the next thing I go for. I look for the heading "Professional Skills" or "Skills Set". Ok, the skills are clearly listed with proficiency stated as well as years of experience. I then checked these skills against your responsibilities and accomplishments section of current and past employment. Checked - bravo, you indeed possess these skills!

3. Writing skills. Now I would take a good look at your profile summary. No spelling mistake. Good grammar was employed. Well expressed. Now, I start to like you...

And there goes the 30 seconds…if your resume passed this point, I will then have a second round of scrutiny and explore other details such as your total years of experience, the companies you work with, and etc. so that a better picture of who you are as a candidate is now slowly unraveled.

Want to know more about resume writing:-

Simple Truths About Resume Writing

Common Mistakes To Avoid In Your Resume

I’m in the midst of preparing the content of a career talk to be held on this coming Wednesday and Thursday. One of the topics is about the mistakes that job seekers commonly make in constructing their resumes. Although the audience of the talk is fresh graduates, I realized many job seekers with experience still commit such mistakes.



The mistakes that recruiters had often come across are:-

• Overstate the truth in your resume (for example: if you were awarded the top student award for a subject, say Programming, mention that clearly rather than stating it as "Awarded the Top Student")

• Include negative information in your resume (for example: if you were not paid for a freelance job, you don't have to make the fact known in your resume. That should only be mentioned during interviews if the subject was ever brought up).


• Include hand written comments (in the hard copy such as amending the hand phone number or email address)

• Send supporting documents such as letter of recommendation, training certificates that were not required (Overwhelming the recruiter with stack of papers is never a good idea!)

• Not enough white space – text extends from margin to margin, and there are no blank lines between sections, paragraphs and bullets.

• A resume with spelling mistakes – this is most common! The least you want to achieve is to leave the impression that you are careless or not serious enough. Best advice: Get someone to proofread your resume- whether it’s going to be in soft or hard copy. If necessary, enlist the help of a friend with strong English skills to proofread your documents before printing and sending them out.