Cambridge Career Corner: Age Discrimination in the Workplace
Welcome to Cambridge Career Corner, the advice column by President Jennifer Graham, where we answer your burning questions. Our resident Cambridge expert will give their advice on what you’re dying to know. In today’s installment, we’re going to go over age discrimination in the workplace. Let’s get into it!
I’m 58. Should I leave my graduation date off my resume?
Great question! And one too many people are afraid to ask. When I started in recruitment, in the late 80’s, age discrimination was very overt. Clients would actually tell us they didn’t want to hire a salesperson who was over 40 because he wouldn’t have the energy for the job!
In some ways we’ve seen the light on age discrimination. In other ways it has just gone more underground. While American clients generally don’t discuss age as a criterion for candidates, a company’s hiring record can tell you if they are truly avoiding discrimination or just the appearance of it.
Though many sources say otherwise, at Cambridge, we advise candidates to leave their grad dates on. Here’s why:
- A missing grad date doesn’t completely hide your age. It usually indicates that a candidate doesn’t want us to show how old they are, which could actually make you appear older! Also, your experiences usually point to an age range anyway.
- If you do succeed in hiding your age by omitting your grad date, you may get the interview, but if the company is going to discriminate against you, you will have just wasted your time and energy.
- A company who reads a resume full of excellent experience and achievement but then hits delete when they see your grad date is probably not one that would value you anyway.
- There are plenty of companies out there that would really truly appreciate your experience. Sometimes they want the depth of knowledge that years in the business can bring. Sometimes they want someone closer to retirement who won’t be burning to move onto the next step on the ladder. Sometimes they want the gravitas that maturity brings to a leadership role. European companies, in particular, seem to value lengthy experience.
It doesn’t seem right that you have to even think about it, but we live in the real world, where hiring practices aren’t always fair. Continue to take initiative, commit yourself fully to your work and accomplish what you are asked to do. The right company will appreciate you for you.
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Jennifer Graham has been a search and recruiting expert for 30 years. As President of Cambridge Consulting Services, a highly successful boutique agency, she has seen it all. From candidates who are brilliant, ethical and talented… to a few whose resumes were pure fiction. From interviewers whose exceptional emotional intelligence inspired even passive candidates to make a career change… to some whose lack of professionalism and empathy repelled most qualified candidates. Jennifer wants to use her vast experience “for good” to help both employers and employees make the right connection.
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