Dates on Resumes

Parent Cafe
1

I don’t know if I mentioned this here or not, but I was laid off at the beginning of the month? Did I mention that here? Anyway, long story short…28 years, reduced hour schedule…company wide layoff, so I was one of them. I got 7 months severance and almost a month of unused vacation time. Not Shocked, but still surprised. DH half heartedly says I can retire if I want, but I know he doesn’t mean it. He is supportive of me not rushing into anything and finding something that suits me. I haven’t been happy there for about 5 years, so it’s not like I’m leaving something or someplace I loved anymore.

I am doing my resume. I’m almost 56 years old, but a young 56. I think people would think I was in my late 40’s. I’ve read not to put dates on resumes at least for graduation (1982). So, I have been with the same company since 1987 and don’t plan on listing the previous 5 year work experience as that is irrelevant. Should I put the dates down 1987 - 2015? This does make me look 5 years younger? Not putting something down might make me look too old.

I always thought I would want to stay home. I admit I love not rushing in the mornings. But I am quite lonely and start getting really bored in the afternoons. I’ve been going for breakfast and lunches with friends, but that only lasts a few hours. I think this is a wake up call for when I really do retire…I need to cultivate some interests if I retire before DH, which I’m sure I will. I did read a book that says you need to have 3-4 activities you are already interested in and now I totally agree. Reading or any solitary pursuit is not an “activity”…it should be something where you are around people.

But I digress…

Honestly, part of me is just sick of the rat race. But the other part is already missing the feeling of contribution to the family checkbook. Not only did I lose my salary, but I carried the insurance. DH is self-employed, so now we are paying $20,000 a year for the same thing I was paying $6,000 a year for.

Another issue…some of the things I did for numerous years at the company, well, I haven’t done in years. It’s not like I could step right in and start! I’d have to be retrained or guided. I feel like a fraud!

This is such a weird time of my life right now. I need to do something constructive until I do find something…whether it be taking a class or volunteering. I hate to start something than have to quit…but who knows how long I will be inbetween jobs. It makes me tired just thinking of starting over again. I"d love to do something else (I’m an accountant), but I have no idea what. If only this had happened 4 years from now, I would just quit for good and not worry about it.

Thanks for any suggestions.

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conmama - I am also an accountant and was told last February of my impending lay off after 28 1/2 years with the same company. Our department knew it was coming for months in advance (all accounting moved to low cost service centers), but it was still a bit tough to hear the actual news. I did not stay on and take the severance package offered because I was able to find a job (my first interview in 28 1/2 years!) a week after learning when my lay off date would be. My new position came with a 12% salary increase which was nice since my former company had not be generous with raises in the past few years.

My H helped me with my resume since he has changed companies many times over the years as an electrical engineer working in tech start ups. I broke my resume into sections depending on the types of work I had done over the years. The new company that I work for is small (less than 120 people) and I am the most senior accountant next to the CFO. They liked my years of experience and longevity and the fact that I was an expert in the same accounting system they used. I have been here six months and feel very lucky to have found a place with really great people and a company that values its employees. I wish I had the nerve to leave my prior job 5 years ago when the downsizing began instead of waiting until the bitter end when I was very unhappy.

My new job is not very hard, but since the company is small and I am getting to do a lot of accounting that I haven’t done in years working at a large corporation. The people in our department are really great to work with and they value the knowledge that I bring with me. I also love the fact that we only work 1/2 day on Fridays (my H has every other Friday off) so I can make lunch plans with my family and friends every week!

3

Showmom858…what a wonderful end to your story. I wish I could be so lucky! About the dates…did you put dates on your Resume? Was it hard starting over again “proving” yourself. I really had it good. 30 hours/week, FT pay and benefits (when I reduced hours, they didn’t cut my pay) and 6 weeks vacation…a lot of autonomy. I know I had a good gig. Also, it was literally 6 miles from my home (10 - 12 minutes) in the suburbs.

I wish I could find something that makes me as happy as you are now.

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conmama - I put dates on my resume and it didn’t seem to hinder me. Only one accountant in our department is in their late 20’s and all the others are in their 40’s and 50’s so I feel very at home here. I probably applied for less than 15 senior accounting positions and the job I ended up with came from a recruiter that only recruits for senior and higher level accounting positions. My last position I was working from home 3 days a week and like you I had 6 weeks of vacation. It has been different for me coming into an office daily, but it is an easy 15 minute drive from home. I think that if all keeps going well for me here I could possibly be able to work part time in the next 3-5 years which would be ideal from me before heading into retirement.

5

Coincidentally, I just read this:
How Do I Craft A Resume Without Revealing My Age?
http://idealistcareers.org/how-do-i-craft-a-resume-without-revealing-my-age/

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A little over a year ago I started looking for a new position. H needed to find employment outside the area where we lived, and our kids were out of HS. So even though I loved my job, I started looking for a job that would be portable.

On my resume, I left the graduation year off my degree in the education section. I also listed about 17 years of work history (had been at previous employer 15 years) and included “earlier professional history available upon request.”

I found a great job, as did my H, and we moved last fall. I am older than my boss and co-workers, but I am enjoying the new position. It’s a lot less stressful than my previous job. I either work from home or I travel. I wouldn’t have done this job when my kids were still at home, but it works for me now.

I think listing 1987 - 2015 for your work experience at your prior company is fine.

7

Great article, oldmom. Everyone’s stories are inspiring…I will put the dates on my resume.

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I am 53, and a long time independent contractor. Two years ago I was having trouble landing interviews for the first time ever. I took dates off my resume, and just put length of tenure on items instead. I took off some items that were small or really old, taking off about 5 years of total experience. I removed the graduation years from my degrees. Within a couple of weeks, my phone was ringing off the hook.

9

Anyone can do the math. When you come in for an interview, it will be apparent approximately how old you are.

If they want to hire someone young, might as well know that you don’t fit the bill for that upfront, in my opinion.

I wouldn’t remove the dates.

(As for me - I went back to work two years ago after about 10 years at home. I landed a job at a small company, where I am one of the oldest employees.)

I am on a bit of a tear because I don’t think any of us needs to apologize for being the age that we are (I’m 55).

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I think some of you have some fascinating work journeys - what you might have done before and what you do now. Off topic, but so interesting to read the journey of people!

Conmama, I hope that something right comes up for you. Have you considered the non-profit world??? I know the pay would be much less, but I often see non-profit “accounting” jobs - sometimes they are part time. And, if you believe or support the mission of the non-profit it can be a way to do the work you are used to - accounting - but in an interesting field- whatever the mission of the non-profit is.

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I had another career for 5 years out of college, so that time is not relevant to what I do now. I never include it on my resume. I also never list a graduation date. I do not consider this dishonest as I do include all relevant job experience.

Good luck, conmama!

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I have a huge skill set and am high energy. 90% of the time if I get the interview and want the contract, I get it. But the age issue was keeping me from getting the interview. Don’t knock taking the dates off until you have tried it.

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I remove dates on degree and older experience for my husband. It became irrelevant I think. He was looking for job at age 58. My sister has no problem finding contract work as an accountant. She is older than 60. Good luck with your job search.

14

I think age discrimination is a HUGE problem, BUT if I were reviewing a resume without graduation dates It would strike me as evasive. Also, what if someone remembers you from 1986 and then when they see the date, conclude incorrectly that you can’t be the person they remember. Or if during a reference check, your previous employer provides actual dates of employment? Then you look like a fibber. I personally would be completely honest on a resume.

15

What I’ve found the biggest problem in terms of being screened out is having stayed at home for 10 years.

I’ve had several interviews that came to a dead halt when the person interviewing learned that SAHM was not a corporation.

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Interesting fendrock b/c I found that my 10 years at home did not hurt my later getting hired. I did however not go back as a management employee (as I once was). That made sense to me. No one I interviewed with had a negative response to my having been a SAHM and I still got offers.

I am an accountant. It might depend on the type of job.

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There are gatekeepers installed in the software programs of online applications.

All the experience, high energy, looking younger than your age will be for naught; many programs will have an ideal age and the dates will signal the gate to close and not aid your applications getting read.

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My degrees are on the 3rd page of a packed resume. It isn’t the first thing that catches their eye. Plus, I have been taking some old/less relevant experience off for years anyway to keep it from running to more pages (I feel like three is the max for even the most seasoned professional with dozens of project experiences).

I don’t see how it is dishonest. My resume is now organized by industry experience, not chronologically, as I have three major industries I work in. Within that I have the most relevant experience in that industry first. The length of the work (eg, 18 months, 2 years, etc) is on the same line as the company name and description of my role. I am perfectly willing to answer if someone has questions about chronology.

Some of this discussion gets at what the point is of the resume. I view it as a way to exchange information with potential employers about my skills and experience. Why does a resume (esp for s person who has been in the workplace for 25+ years) need to account for every chronological moment of their time to an employer? Does it matter if I got my MBA in 1988 or 1993 or 1998? Does it matter if ten years ago took six months off when a sibling died, then worked part time for a year while I worked on his estate? I work like a millennial, like more and more of our kids will, on a contract basis on many projects for many companies. The resume of yesterday is clunky anyway for those kinds of workers, they are building skills and experiences rapidly, and chronology isn’t that important in communicating that to an employer.

It is also so easy to tailor a resume to a given job today, just edit in Word. Contract for a project manager for a big Medicare compliance project? Pull that 3 year Medicare compliance experience from 8 years ago to the top, put the one year from 11 years ago right after it, and put health care industry as the first section of the resume. Looking for someone with retail cryptography background to protect your credit cards? I can slice and highlight 3 years of experience in that.

Every item on my resume is true, and I can provide more info in every area if requested. But it isn’t about the chronology.

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@Ulumay If companies do that, doesn’t that expose them to potential legal difficulties if they are ever sued for age discrimination?

@FallGirl Yes, I do think it is very job specific. I work in Product Marketing at a software company. The expectation is that you need to be younger in order to be up to speed on technology and current markets.

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@inparent – i wasn’t talking about your resume, where every item is true. OP is thinking of shaving five years off the date range for her previous employer. Not the end of the world if dates don’t match on the reference check but it might raise a small question for some. Or it might confuse someone reviewing her resume who worked with her in the early years at that company.