The Perils of “Dumbing it Down”!

With the ongoing structural changes in the labor pool and in the job market more and more experienced and older demographic of professionals is finding it increasingly harder to regain their lost jobs. An insightful study just released yesterday revealed that of the chronically unemployed (out of a job for > six months) only about 11% find a job at the same level as their last one. This statistic is both frightening and disheartening!

I have several clients at various levels (from GMs/VPs to IT Admins) in their 50s, who are out of work and are looking. Although they are not in the “chronic” category yet their anxious calls now and then concern me about their state of mind and about their confidence to get the right job soon. Some of them complain to me about their interview experiences and conclude that either they are perceived as “too old” or too experienced to stay in their role if they were to be offered the job.

Yet another question is at what price point will they accept the offer, especially after they disclose their salary history. Often, too, their potential hiring manger is a generation or so younger and gives them an apprehensive look about their ability to work effectively with the client because of their seniority, experience, or age. Many of my clients’ anxious calls inevitably lead to their asking me if they should “dumb down” their résumé, take out their LinkedIn headshot, and delete any chronology beyond the most recent 10-12 years.

Although most such clients landed the jobs they were seeking, the emotional pain that they are subjected to is palpable and needs some discussion with some ways to deal with their concerns forthrightly. This blog summarizes the strategies that have worked for such clients for the benefit of those in a similar situation (or likely to be at some later stage in their lives, as their youth fades!):

1. Recognize that your résumé and your LinkedIn Profile are more about the job you are after than they’re about you. So, make sure that once you position your message for the job family you’re after, the message in both places is resonant with that target. Do a key-word search on LinkedIn and find out how you rank.
2. Delete any reference to your chronology that takes more than about 12 years into your past. All early chronology can be listed in your résumé as “Prior—2000.” Also, “dumbing down” your résumé may put you in direct competition with a much younger crowd, making it easy for them to weed you out after an interview.
3. Take out any language that dates you. For example, if your résumé has entries of “punch cards and mainframes, or even minicomputers” reframe that statement in today’s language.
4. Find a way to elevate your specific experience to show transferable skills and give concrete examples resonant with any business situation relevant today. So, instead of stating, Typed responses to customer letters and put them in the Mail within a day of receipt, say, Responded to customer queries with alacrity, resulting in an improved customer experience.
5. Post a contemporaneous, professional headshot on your LinkedIn Profile and show your youth and vigor with a smiling face! Do not Photoshop, doctor, or use an early photo because when they shake your hands before an interview it will betray your integrity, making them wonder, what else are you concealing? So, instead of a tired-looking headshot or an agape selfie, replace it with its photobranding counterpart that screams, I know what I want to be doing tomorrow! Also, do not delete your Profile photo to hide your age, which may cause them to wonder, What are you really hiding from? Create a vibrant Headline to accompany your picture showing some imagination, energy, and creativity. So, instead of saying, Director of Customer Complaints, headline it with: Customer Experience Manager! You have 120 characters for the headline, so use it creatively.
6. Have a good mix of people in your LinkedIn network. Different professions, varying ages, and from assorted cultures. One of my clients initially had all her connections with the same or very similar last names and belonging to the same cultural background, making her look very cloistered in how she connected with others.
7. Get LinkedIn Recommendations from a younger generation in your network to show that you work well with that generation of leaders. Explore if they can insert some language about your mentoring skills. If you are being seen as too young for a job, do its opposite!
8. During interviews show your energy, willingness, and ability to work well with anyone within your group by showing respect, connecting with them with authenticity, and using the language they understand.
9. When it comes to compensation do not get hung up on your last salary (or title!). Focus, instead on the value you bring to the job and translate that value into a comp package that is workable. Start-ups have a different way of offering their comp packages, so be creative in structuring your salary and the at-risk component (equity). Also, do not directly connect the desired compensation with your current financial needs; you may have to adjust your lifestyle to suit the market.
10. Show willingness to work as the job demands, without imposing constraints about travel, commute, or any restrictions you may have (“ I have to be home by 4:00 to attend to my grandkids.”).

It is easy to rationalize a rejection or lack of action on a job front by bringing your age, gender, or other parameters. In most cases it is about showcasing your value to your potential employer. So, if you follow this guidance and use your commonsense, the odds of your getting the job you’re after can be much higher than the 10:1 revealed in that recently cited study: Debunk it!

Good luck!