Can putting DOB on your resume lead to ageism? Get HR's perspective?

Yesterday I had a great interaction with @Welingkar Institute MBA students during a Profile Building Training Program.

One question from the audience piqued my interest. It is rarely discussed, though.

Q: Should you mention your date of birth on your resume?

I am sharing my HR experience and insights on this question. Hang on till the end.

?? "Mentioning your date of birth is not mandatory on resumes."

You should keep your resume very job-specific. The must-haves are: your contact details, career objective, skills, experience, and education details.

Avoid adding a lot of information, which can distract a recruiter or HR and?create a biased opinion. I know things shouldn't work like this, but you cannot change human psychology, the way we are wired in our brains, no matter how much we evolve with time.

Things which are recommended to be avoided are:

1. Date of birth

2. Religious preferences

3. Hobbies, until they complement your job.

4. Your References. Many companies have a "background check process". When you are shortlisted for a role, they will ask you if required.

These things take extra space in your document, and it is important to understand that you have to prepare a short and concise resume, so avoid them until asked for in the job description.

?? Your resume shouldn't exceed 2 pages (freshers -1 page, experienced -2 pages only).

Now, coming back to the core topic ??

?? Ageism/DOB bias: This is a proven fact. Ageism can lead to bias decisions if you are too young or too old for the role.

When you are sitting in a campus placement, it is very obvious to HRs that you are your age. But when you are an experienced professional with, let's say, 2-4 years of experience and planning to jump to an Asst. Manager or Manager role, you are highly aspirational, which is great, but this can lead to biased decisions from HR or Department Head in the final decision process.

You definitely want a chance to interview for this role and show your potential, but you couldn't get an interview just because you are too young or too old. This happens. ??♀?

?? HRs?spend only 6-7 seconds scanning your resume, so mention things that increase the chances of you getting interviewed.

From my experience in HR, we rarely discussed age with the department head for the hiring of a specific role. If this is something that bothers them and is a requirement of the role, they will usually dig through your resume to find out, but this is not always the case.

In one instance, ??

I remember having this age-related?discussion with our external consultant, department head, and HR team and how it mattered for that client-facing role.

?? These are minor details that can place your resume in second place when compared to other profiles. My recommendation is to avoid mentioning things which can cut your chances of even getting an interview and keep it job-specific.

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Do you want a free review of your resume and LinkedIn profile? Write to me here [email protected].

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