The Art of the Job Search: Resume Cheating Never Works

There was a time when “whitewashing,” which is the use of white text to hide keywords on a resume, was proposed as a way to bypass an employer’s ATS. Many people still use this resume trick, which many consider unethical, although ATS systems can detect white text and ignore it, and recruiters can check it.

The latest resume tricks: Self-taught career coaches advise job seekers who feel their age is a barrier not to include dates on their resumes. It’s worth noting that it is in a career coach’s best interest to convince you that ageism is widespread because this narrative helps them sell their “services.”

Does ageism exist? Of course, this is true regardless of age, along with countless other biases, although not to the extent that it is propagated by career coaches and the media, whose self-interests are best served by keeping us anxious and addicted to the news .

Career Coach Business Model: Create a false narrative about a prospective job seeker’s “obstacle” and provide a solution.

Leave dates on your resume or LinkedIn profile false by default –intentionally omitting critical information to create a misleading impression is an unethical attempt to influence the reader by misrepresenting oneself. Plus, since employment and graduation dates are standard on resumes, missing dates raises a clear red flag that you’re hiding something. Hiring managers and recruiters are reading the same job search tips as you. When they read resumes without dates, they know why the candidate didn’t include them.

Ethics aside, assuming that not dating will actually lead to an interview, in person your age will be obvious; what then? If the hiring manager is pro-age, then when you sit down for the job, your age will be front and center. They will look for ways to confirm any preconceptions about the age group and generation you belong to, for example:

• you won’t fit the culture
• you will retire soon
• you have age-related health problems
• you will be in the right and easily offended and therefore difficult to control(especially young candidates)
• you are more likely to engage in activism
• lack of experience
• too much experience(overqualified, will be expensive)

The range of assumptions, the basis on which biases are formed, spans all ages, genders, races, ethnicities, etc. Hiring is a human activity of judgment—maybe one day AI will change that—so biases are inherent in the hiring process. You have prejudices; I have prejudices. Social norms and legislation hide, but do not eradicate prejudices, turning them into “subtle subtext”.

Assuming skills, competencies and experience are relatively equal, which candidate would you lean towards:

Candidate A: During the small talk they initiated, they mentioned that they were fans of the Seattle Kraken; you’re a fan too.

Candidate B: Doesn’t engage in small talk, and when you ask if they watched the Seattle Kraken vs. New York Islanders game last night, they say they don’t like sports.

Candidate A: Attended MacEwan University (Class of 2002), like you (Released in 1997.).

Candidate B: Attended Boatwright University (Released in 1993.).

Typically, our biases are not malicious. I’m of the opinion that a lot of “bias” is simply choosing who you feel comfortable with – co-worker, friend, spouse, mechanic, doctor or financial advisor – and commonalities go a long way in this regard. solution. Your interviewer, especially if this is the person you will be reporting to, asks himself:

• Can I work with this person?
• Will the team accept this person?

Another reason behind the cover-up of uselessness is the Internet, which experts conveniently don’t mention. The Internet has made hiding your age and other details about yourself a futile endeavor. Of course, your LinkedIn profile will be read and you will be searched on Google to determine if you are worthy of an interview. If a hiring manager wants to know your age or something else about you, they can use Google and find:

• years when you graduated
• the years you played minor league hockey
• a photo your tagged daughter posted on Facebook in August 2004 of you taking her to university
• technical document, Emerging European markets undermine globalizationyou wrote back in 1998 for the brokerage firm you worked for.
• your tweet announcing your 25th wedding anniversary

What I’m saying is that it’s better to be open about your age or (something like that). At some point in the hiring process, especially since employers typically conduct four to six interviews, the employer will find out what you’re trying to hide. So, if the hiring manager is pro-age, you will be excluded when they Google you and guess your age, and if you accidentally get an interview, it will be awkward. It’s better to be eliminated early than to waste time preparing and interviewing only to be rejected because of an “ism.”

I believe that ageism or any other “ism” can be overcome by empowering oneself (read: respect yourself) which comes from being proud of who you are and all that you have achieved, rather than distorting yourself in an attempt to be accepted. Look for an employer who values ​​the experience of a “seasoned” candidate – they exist. Self-respect breeds respect. I don’t know a hiring manager who hires candidates they don’t respect.

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Nick Kossowan, a seasoned corporate veteran, offers some “sweet” advice on your job search. You can send Nick your questions at (email protected)

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.