Job Search Ageism, Or Resume Blocked By ATSs And Pre-screening?

When age 40+ job seekers fail to get interviews and they're qualified, it's easy to blame job search ageism.

After all, some employers and hiring managers are biased about candidate age.

But there's also a good chance that it's something other than ageism that's holding you back ... something that you can control.

I'm not just a career coach, but I'm an active recruiter, so I review hundreds of resumes each day ... and I can see why most resumes stay buried in ATSs, even from qualified candidates.

Even if you're being discriminated against because you're over 40, you also lose opportunities because there are common mistakes on your resume that keep you buried. These mistakes are also commonly made by outplacement, most career coaches/authors, certified professional resume writers, high volume "resume mills", and job board resume services, given as advice by most of the people you've sought help from, so you're probably making these mistakes too.

These mistakes probably aren't typos, but here are a couple of the most common mistakes I see on resumes from age 40+ job seekers :

1. Minimal Or Not Enough Resume Customization: Most candidates spend an average 15-20 minutes customizing each resume. and many try to customize the wrong things. Lack of customization if the #1 reason candidates get screened out when they're qualified. Ineffective customization is #2. To keep your resume from being buried, you need to be more effective at anticipating the exact words/phrases the HR rep/Recruiter is using in their search criteria (Hint: Most of these criteria aren't in the job description).
2. Trying To Show You're Qualified: During competitive job markets like 2024, being qualified is never enough. Today, employers expect to see 5-10 qualified candidates competing for every available interview spot - So 50-100 qualified candidates compete for 10 interview spots (plus all the unqualified candidates). Being qualified isn't enough to even get your resume to a human, because so many others are qualified. You need to do more just to get your resume seen in today's job market.

These are just two reasons that aren't ageism that keep you from getting interviews when you're qualified.

But it's easy to blame ageism, even when it's something you can control.??And there are many more mistakes that age 40+ job seekers blame on ageism, but are things you can control. You also have the opportunity to use strategies that help you reduce job search ageism, by changing how you present your resume information.

So if you're not getting enough interviews, even if you're convinced its ageism, let me show you how to get through ATSs, get more interviews, and beat ageism during 2024's competitive job market.

The only reason you aren't already doing this is that no one's taught you how. Want me to show you?

I help people solve the most difficult job search problems, including job search acceleration, getting past ATSs, ageism, remote positions, product/job function/career/industry/ geographic change, 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 Webinar (enroll at https://x.resumewebinar.com/Registration for no charge) and learn how to accelerate your job search, so you can find your next job faster in 2024.

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#resume #jobs #career #ageism