Should Older Workers Leave Dates Off Resumes

Should Older Workers Leave Dates Off ResumesShould Older Workers Leave Dates Off Resumes5Job seekers of a certain age get a lot of advice. Thats for good reason. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, workers age 40-65 face increased discrimination in the workplace (download the CDCs brief, CDC Older Employees in the Workplace). They may also face reduced employment opportunities and more challenging workplace conditions than their younger colleagues.To add to the situation, much of the advice targeted at older workers is conflicting. There are no cut-and-dried answers that will work for every older job seeker in every situation. But there are some general principles to keep in mind when crafting a resume- particularly when it comes to dating yourself.Focus on functional skills rather than dates.Not everyone agrees, but some career experts think that putting dates on your resume is TMI (too much information). Toni Bowers writes on Tech Republic, Leave off the da tes. Dont include your birth date, graduation date, or, if you can avoid it, dates of employment. Instead, Bowers suggests organizing your resume around functional skills clusters to de-emphasize dates.Heres how you can learn more about creating a functional resume (with or without dates).Consider experience vs. graduation dates.Not all dates on your resume are created equal. Career coach Miriam Salpeter advocates always including dates on your resume in relation to your job experience. While she adds that shes also not a fan of leaving graduation dates off of your resume, she suggests that there may possibly be situations when this omission may make sense for some older job seekers.Limit your resumes work history.Its a smart practice to limit how far back you list your job history when you have more than a decade of experience in the workforce. Many career experts, including Ask a Manager Alison Green, agree that jobs you did more than 15 years ago are likely no longer relevant to your current job search. When in doubt, leave those out.Though being a more veteran job seeker comes with its share of unique challenges, remember to emphasize your virtues as a senior-level employee. Older workers bring a depth of experience, career wisdom, and often a stronger sense of commitment than greener candidates. Use these benefits to your advantage to land the job you want.Readers, what do you think- should older workers leave dates off resumes? What have you done?