Well as indicated by recent BBC Business News articles, the 50+ age group are very challenged and in particular emerging from a pandemic and change in working practices the hill to climb is very steep to say the least.
What is the problem? Well, this age group is applying for advertised job opportunities. Then, they wait patiently and mainly hear nothing back or perhaps their style of the submitted cv has been rejected by an automated reader or sifter. Unfortunately, this initial element is devoid of a human element except pushing a button.
In my qualified opinion, I have been through this pain and even with qualifications and experiences. Why is this age group being overlooked?
The good old fashioned, but workable human being from the personnel department – now know in this era as Human Resources or HR has allowed technology to take control and be damned.
Once upon a time, it was an initial interview to understand the nature and behaviours of the person applying and then a more intense interview to understand their technical knowledge.
So, what can I do? I hear you ask. Clearly, there is a code to be cracked here and the goalposts keep on moving. First, and foremost, identify all your skills in power words. Secondly, have you a recent testimonials or recommendations on headed notepaper or provided digitally – you should have at least a couple or up to 6 would be better. This tells future employers your good qualities and achievements at work from a senior manager.
Today’s CV should be 2 sides of A4 paper and clearly should start with a summary, achievements, qualifications and then list your work experiences. Make sure all the skill words you identified earlier are contained within the whole document and you have chance of passing the robots that will read the document first.
About the author – Renford Marsden
Renford Marsden has undertaken over 40 years of a working life in a variety of disciplines which has given him the experiences and opportunities in various countries with amazing people. He is a qualified further education Instructor in information computer technology and also has a qualification in digital marketing from City & Guilds. He is a business owner with a vision and undertakes charity work when time permits.
