How to Avoid Age Discrimination in Resume Writing to Land That Interview

How to Avoid Age Discrimination in Resume Writing to Land That InterviewWhen applying for jobs, knowing how to write a resume can make the difference between you land that interview and not. Whether you are a recent college graduate or a former corporate executive with a few years experience, you should know how to construct a resume to avoid age discrimination. Most people don't even realize that some employers evaluate your age as well as your credentials on a first come, first serve basis.If your resume is not prepared by the time you walk into an interview, you will most likely be told to do a little more legwork to provide a little more information. Your employer will most likely not provide an interview until you have provided your application with updated contact information. It can be extremely frustrating to have a perfectly written resume, only to be told to fill out additional questions and provide a bit more information just because of your age.A common scenario in which an older job seeker is rejected is that the prospective employer does not see the potential in your age. Usually, the hiring manager feels that you are not mature enough to handle the responsibility of making decisions or taking time out to be interviewed. Often times, this is not a valid reason to deny someone an interview. Instead, you should try to follow up and tell them why they might not be interested in you.Another way to make sure that you get a job interview is to prepare yourself for it. If you are not familiar with the company, how they operate, or what they are looking for, learn as much as you can about their industry. And, if you already know a lot about their industry, then be sure to write the right resumes to be hired. Resumes are filled out by employers, and they are not going to hire someone who is not qualified.If you have personal issues, such as a disability, needing professional assistance, you should contact the Human Resources department. Remember, you shoul d never be the only person who has this problem. Getting professional assistance is vital when it comes to obtaining employment. You should also be prepared to pay for this assistance, if you do not qualify for it yourself.As much as possible, try to keep your resume at least five pages long. Although, it's tempting to add extra information, such as additional education or volunteer experience, your resume should stand alone without adding in extraneous information. In addition, if you do not have many years of experience, you may want to list what experience you have, if any. However, it is important to list the amount of experience that you do have.If you follow these suggestions, you will have no trouble creating a great resume to avoid age discrimination. You may not get your dream job, but you will be able to create a resume that will have great potential to land you an interview. You can rest assured that you did everything you could to keep from being turned down, and you sho uld be proud that you put together a resume that other candidates might benefit from.

When is the Best Time to Have a Big Meeting at Work

When is the Best Time to Have a Big Meeting at Work Imagine this: you’re in charge of planning exactly when to present the Big Proposal to the boss, and you have to pick the location, day, and time for the meeting. You’ve got a slot on Tuesday at 10 a.m., 3 p.m., or 4 p.m. Which do you choose so that the boss is the most receptive to your ideas? A recent New York Times Magazine piece shared research about “decision fatigue,” a concept coined by a social psychologist studying how mental activities can affect how people make decisions and which choices they make. The research showed that those who have to go through the laborious process of weighing potential outcomes from a block of information are often less in control of their own willpower. So, to relate this research to our question at hand, if you’re giving a long, potentially expensive pitch to someone, their choice on whether to act on that proposal might be extraordinarily taxing on them, mentally. And if you want someone to negotiate with you and give a little bit of leeway, forget about it if they’re worn out. People who have been hit with a lot of information, options, and scenarios to sift through (say, in a long business meeting) might just be unable to “be the decider” by the end of the presentation (hence “decision fatigue”). So how do you combat it and make sure your big complex idea makes it out of the boardroom unscathed? 1. Schedule that meeting as early in the day as possible. Fresh minds are going to be your best bet. Ever try to get even a small issue resolved at 4 p.m. in the afternoon? No way, not going to happen. 2. Have experts ready to offer their opinions in your favor. If your decider is decision-fatigued, they may just ask for a recommendation. What you want to offer is the most respected array of people who’ve already come to the same conclusion you want to win. When the boss asks for their help, you don’t want to hit him or her with even more to worry about. 3. Tempt them with something that will appeal to their senses. Like something sweet and cheap at the checkout lane, the end part of your presentation should be especially hard to resist. How about a cost savings or some flashy perks? Maybe it’s a promise of notoriety or free press that couldn’t possibly go wrong. All of that would be awfully tempting at the end (and with minimal effort by the decider). If they are tired and depleted, it will help steer them in your direction. 4. Finally, feed them. The study showed that no matter how delicious (or not) the chow, glucose helps stimulate willpower and can help keep your brain in check. If you have a skittish boss who will want to bolt as the meeting creeps towards lunch, provide the old standby: snacks. Help your target focus on the task at hand, and hopefully come away from the meeting on your side.   More From PayScale: 5 Ways to Fake Confidence Survey: 76% of Workers Are More Productive Outside of the Office Real Work-Life Balance Starts With Your Boss

The Invisible Conversation - Work It Daily

The Invisible Conversation - Work It Daily One of my new favorite blogs is called Productivity Flourishing. This article (click here) is about a phenomenon known as “emotional contagion,” a.k.a. the invisible conversation. The concept is simple: There are conversations that go on between us and others that are non-verbal. They are driven by the emotions of the people we surround ourselves with. The article describes it as this: An interconnected network of brain cells known as mirror neurons respond to the emotional state of those around us by mirroring that same state. This immensely powerful conversation happens without intention, and much of it can be nonverbal. Though it’s as powerful as any deliberate, verbal conversation, if not more so. It goes on to discuss how these invisible conversations affect us in various situations. Sometimes You Need a Ghost Writer As I read this article, I couldn’t help but think how many job seekers need a “ghost writer” to help keep their invisible conversations on-track and positive. What’s a ghost writer? It’s a person who helps you maintain the proper talk-track in your head so you get the results you are looking for. Let me give you an example: When we are struggling to find work or advance our careers, we can become very down on ourselves. This projects a negativity that impacts the invisible conversations we have with friends, family, our job search network, and even hiring managers. I often find much of the career coaching I do by phone or Skype are focused on helping people work through this negativity so they can feel better and have more productive invisible conversations with those they are interacting with. Invisible Conversation Killing the Job Interview Recently, I did a coaching call by Skype with a CareerHMO.com member who has been between jobs for 18 months. He wanted to do some work on his interviewing skills because he was convinced his answers were hurting him on job interviews. As we started to discuss how he answered basic behavioral questions, I felt a strong negative invisible conversation going on. I stopped him and asked point blank what happened in his professional past that had hurt him so deeply. He was shocked, and said, “How did you know I’ve been hurt?” I told him it was the non-verbal cues. His voice tone, body language and hand gestures were making it clear he was upset. Even the way he was articulating his answers gave away the deep anger, sadness and insecurity he was feeling. We spent the rest of the call talking about the situation and helping him to come to terms with it. As his ghost writer, I helped him look at the situation more objectively so he could remove the emotion from the invisible conversation. A few exchanges by email and a follow-up Skype call shortly after led to some encouraging results. You could feel the difference when we interacted! It won’t surprise you to learn he has found it much easier to increase his networking activities too. His confidence is up and it shows! And in my experience, this will eventually lead to a new job. Do YOUR Invisible Conversations Need a Ghost Writer? This recent experience with a CareerHMO.com client made me realize it was time we expanded our offerings and give members a way to regularly work with a career coach to ensure the invisible conversations they are having are productive and positive. So, let me introduce you to two new subscription plans: Our Professional subscription offers you a coaching call with an expert by phone or Skype every other week, while our Executive subscription offers you a coaching call every week. Check them out and let me know what you think. Depending on the subscription you buy, you save $5-10/coaching session. Click for New Subscription Plans » P.S. Any existing member (Premium or Freemium) who upgrades their subscription by October 31, 2011 will get two extra coaching calls [$90 VALUE] for one month. How to Upgrade In order to upgrade, you must e-mail and inform me which level you'd like to purchase. I will take care of everything else. You can reach me at info@careerhmo.com. Don’t let the invisible conversations you are having with others hurt your career. Let us help keep your emotions in check so you can send the right message every time! J.T. O’Donnell is the founder of CAREEREALISM.com and CEO of CareerHMO.com, a web-based career development company. Image from Martin Fischer/Shutterstock Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!