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The Pros and Cons of resumes to find a work/job

Based on my 30 years as an executive search consultant and the last 20 years as a career coach, there are occasions to use a resume.  Over half of my clients are over age 50 (I am 73).

Age discrimination is alive and well in the world of full-time employment.

Boomers want to be lead and not managed. And young managers don't want to hire their parents (or grandparents).

The two occasions when resumes work:

  1. Working with headhunters.  That's all they understand - chronological resumes. They fill jobs and do not place people.
  2. Applying for a full-time position.  Of course, a tailored resume is critical.  The proof of concept is on you the job seeker (I did some research:  if a job seeker is relying solely upon the application process, they have 1 chance in 1,000 of getting an offer.)

Resumes are not useful in the networking process (the most effective way to find work*).  Your network does not know where the jobs are.  Your resume screams  "do you know of a full-time job for me?" or "the only way I can help is full time."

 

* My clients (ages 50 to 75) get traction with a personal brand and a one-page summary.  Networking promotes visibility (along with a well written LinkedIn profile).  There are 3 ways they can help an organization: full-time, part-time, and short-term contracts.  

Even younger managers like this one.  And certainly, temp to perm is a good strategy for the long term.

 

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In answer to 'Age discrimination is alive and well in the world of full-time employment', I'm just finding this out now as I recently turned 72 and have been trying to find a job to generate an income as my former occupation has been devastated thanks to the pandemic. On the plus side, my computer hardware and software skills are well above average and in most cases I am more computer savvy than those half my age as I have been building, refurbishing, and updating desktop/laptop computers since the Apple IIE debuted in 1978. I am also well versed in MS Word, Excel, Adobe Acrobat, Javascript, HTML, CSS, Database design/development, website design/development, etc. Not to be immodest but my communication and writing skills are second to none. As I have been forced to change careers to generate an income, I was under  the impression that my soft and hard skills might compensate for my age but it appears I am sadly mistaken. What's even more disappointing and disillusioning are that those much younger than me in customer service who are unable to perform their job the majority of the time where they constantly apologize or read from a manual when they haven't a clue how to resolve a problem. What's worse is that I am constantly having to repeat myself because the customer rep on the receiving end either isn't paying attention to what I have to say or cannot process English. Sorry for the rant but this is most disturbing given I normally end up resolving my own issues yet I am the one unable to find a job, Figure? Needless to say, I am really beside myself. It appears that I am hindered by both my age and being over qualified for the jobs to which I've applied when all I want is to be able to generate an income to pay my bills working at a job that can put my skill set to good use in helping others. Needless to say, I never thought I'd be in the position I'm in given my present age. 

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@MartinP687537 wrote:

In answer to 'Age discrimination is alive and well in the world of full-time employment', I'm just finding this out now as I recently turned 72 and have been trying to find a job to generate an income as my former occupation has been devastated thanks to the pandemic. On the plus side, my computer hardware and software skills are well above average and in most cases I am more computer savvy than those half my age as I have been building, refurbishing, and updating desktop/laptop computers since the Apple IIE debuted in 1978. I am also well versed in MS Word, Excel, Adobe Acrobat, Javascript, HTML, CSS, Database design/development, website design/development, etc. Not to be immodest but my communication and writing skills are second to none. As I have been forced to change careers to generate an income, I was under  the impression that my soft and hard skills might compensate for my age but it appears I am sadly mistaken. What's even more disappointing and disillusioning are that those much younger than me in customer service who are unable to perform their job the majority of the time where they constantly apologize or read from a manual when they haven't a clue how to resolve a problem. What's worse is that I am constantly having to repeat myself because the customer rep on the receiving end either isn't paying attention to what I have to say or cannot process English. Sorry for the rant but this is most disturbing given I normally end up resolving my own issues yet I am the one unable to find a job, Figure? Needless to say, I am really beside myself. It appears that I am hindered by both my age and being over qualified for the jobs to which I've applied when all I want is to be able to generate an income to pay my bills working at a job that can put my skill set to good use in helping others. Needless to say, I never thought I'd be in the position I'm in given my present age. 


💥Hi @MartinP687537 we hope things have improved for you. Please update as you can or want to. Enjoyed reading your post. Angela 😁 💥

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