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Resumes crucial for experienced workers

Andy Armstrong is a veteran public-relations man, aspiring novelist, published cartoonist - and temporary letter carrier during warm weather. He has sought a full-time PR post since a New York agency laid him off in 2002.

The 49-year-old resident of Allendale, N.J., mainly blames his age. "Being older doesn’t help," observes Armstrong, a genial individual with a low-key demeanor. "I’ve heard myself described as ‘overqualified’ many, many times."

It’s a common lament among older applicants. But less obvious obstacles often impede them as well. Some, for example, resist the hard work required to find meaningful work, says Richard H. Beatty, author of numerous career books.

Other baby boomers "have a tough time thinking about new ways of doing things," adds Diane Darling, a Boston networking specialist.

"Employers ignore a prospect’s age if he is impeccably professional and technologically current," observes Bill Heyman, CEO of recruiters Heyman Associates, New York.

A more focused and efficient job search would help Armstrong overcome possible age bias, these experts concluded after each spoke with him at my request. They offered a road map for circumventing job-hunt roadblocks when you’re past 45.


Among their strategies:

• Prepare a resume that emphasizes your strengths rather than chronology.

Armstrong gave the trio a resume listing dates for every job since 1978. It highlighted his recent lack of steady employment - and omitted his knowledge of the office-automation business. It "fails to make the sale," asserted Beatty, a human-resource consultant in Berlin, Md.

The resume "needs to come across more forceful," concurred Heyman, who specializes in senior-level PR searches. He thinks it should state that Armstrong has sold nearly 90 cartoons to magazines. Employers like people who have done something "out of the ordinary," the recruiter says.

Heeding the criticisms, Armstrong revised his resume twice. The latest version summarizes his qualifications at the top, followed by a brief catalog of key skills and description of major accomplishments. He pushed his work history to the second page and camouflaged his age by dropping pre-1987 employers. But drawing immediate attention to Armstrong’s achievements may make hiring managers suspect his employment gaps, Beatty cautions. "It is a two-edged sword."

• Speed your search using new Internet tools.

Armstrong spends too much time visiting individual employer Web sites, Beatty contends. "Why not let technology do the work?"

A free search engine called a job aggregator alerts users when vacancies appear on thousands of Web sites, such as job boards, company sites and newspaper want ads. Listings reflect specified criteria. He estimates the three main aggregators scan more than eight million posts. He tested them for his book, "The Ultimate Job Search." But the job aggregator thatArmstrong tried struck him as redundant.

• Enlarge your network and follow up feelers promptly.

So many former co-workers left PR or retired that "a lack of contacts is killing me," Armstrong complains. On the other hand, he never joined the primary trade group because he was once told it was a waste of money.

Heyman believes Armstrong could begin to rebuild his professional network by visiting an ex-colleague who now leads a huge PR firm. Via email, Armstrong should tell the executive that he wants to reconnect and will call him soon to arrange their meeting, the recruiter recommends.

Darling, founder of Effective Networking, urges Armstrong to compile a list of everyone he knows and enlist their aid. The list should include editors who bought his cartoons. "I’m not ruling anything out," Armstrong replies.

• Polish your pitch by soliciting feedback.

Age can be a barrier if you don’t promote yourself energetically. That partly explains Armstrong’s stalled search. "He needs to maintain a sense of urgency" during networking sessions and job interviews, Heyman says.

Armstrong should hire a career coach to videotape mock interviews and teach him to act more assertive, Beatty proposes. Darling suggests friends and relatives anonymously assess his strengths and weaknesses through Surveymonkey.com, an online survey tool.

Armstrong, who earns $14 an hour as a seasonal mailman, is unsure he can afford a coach. He also doubts polling acquaintances would land him a permanent PR position. "I’ve gone on many job interviews and heard mostly positive things" afterward, he remembers. "When there’s been negative feedback, I’ve tried to incorporate that."

Still, his last face-to-face job interview occurred nine months ago. He realizes he must job hunt differently. He concedes: "Perhaps I have not pursued this as aggressively as I could."