How To Stop ATSs From Blocking Your Resume When You're Over 40

Do you think your resume is being screened out by Applicant Tracking Systems just because of your age, when you're over 40?

This is a topic that's controversial, filled with misunderstanding, bad advice and plain old false information. It's unfortunate that much of the false information is given by sources that are trusted by job seekers (most career coaches/authors, outplacement firms, and professional resume writers).

That's why so many job seekers try to hide their age, by excluding information. By trying to use this type of deception on their resume, the deception itself is what blocks many candidates from interviews, advancement, and even offers.

Good thing there are far more effective ways to stop ATSs (plus human reviewers and hiring managers) from blocking your resume when you're over 40:

1. Heavy Resume Customization:?Applicant Tracking Systems are programmed to screen out resumes with little customization, and most resumes have too little customization to get through. One of the most effective ways to get through ATSs is to invest more time to customize your resume for the individual opportunity, company, and hiring manager. I recommend 1 hour per resume, to give you a better chance of getting past automated screening.
2. Better Information Sources:?Getting access to better employer information can give you a big advantage over other candidates, and get you through the ATS more often (plus human review too). But if you're like most job seekers, you depend on publicly available information (including: job descriptions, company websites, Google). But publicly available information is available to everyone, giving you zero advantage (everyone is good at researching Google ... it hasn't been new technology for a long, long, time). Even worse, almost all publicly available information is obsolete: Most job descriptions are 1+ years old, while company websites and Google describe "wins" (problems that have already been solved), causing you to brand yourself as the wrong fit.
3. Understanding The Hiring Manager's Current Problems:?They aren't on the job description, and if you don't understand the hiring manager's problems, how will you be able to show that you can solve them? By guessing?

These are just a few of the many ways to change your resume/interview/job search strategy to beat job search age bias. Want to learn more ways to get more interviews, advance more often, and land more offers when you're over 40?

I help people solve the most difficult job search problems, including getting past ATSs, ageism, remote positions, product/job function/career/industry/ geographic change, job search acceleration, unemployment, "bouncy" recent career path, job search turnaround, seeking raise/promotion, industry in decline/consolidation, long term gaps, family leave, or other of the most challenging job search issues.

Join me for my next free Resume Revolution! webinar (enroll at https://x.resumewebinar.com/register for no charge) to learn how to overcome tough job search problems, and accelerate your job search.

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