When writing a resume, what can you do to avoid ageism effectively?

Format your resume appropriately.
Your resume needs to be clean; that is one of the most critical things about it. We recommend a professional-looking and easy-to-read format, and if you’re not sure what a modern professional resume looks like, you can begin by browsing and checking out free templates that have been designed based on employer preferences.

While the terms of a professional resume may differ by industry, you can begin by making sure your resume reaches the following standards:
• Written comfortably on one page, unless you are an executive or senior leader.
• Margins are .5 inch minimum to 1-inch maximum.
• An easy-to-read font is used. The right font may differ by industry, but Ariel, Helvetica, or Calibri is typically best.
• Font size is 10 to 12 points, aside from section headers which should be slightly larger.
• It would be appropriate to bold your name and section headers.
• Make sure to add spaces between sections so it’s simple to read without leaving ample blank space on the top or bottom of the page, which might be distracting.

Improve your contact information. Your contact information section must include:
• Your full name
• Email address
• City or state
• A phone number that is easy to reach
• Even though your resume is not a legal document, it’s best and wise to use your legal name.

• Address: Including your complete address is no longer required since much of the hiring process is done online, which raises safety concerns for some candidates. You can simply include your city and state.
• Email: Consider using a current email domain instead of old ones such as AOL or Hotmail. It’s wise to use a professional email address that is not distracting and provides a positive first impression. It would be best if the email containing your name.
• Phone number: Include a reliable phone number and record a brief, professional personal voicemail message rather than leaving the default message.
Emphasize your education and remove graduation dates.
You probably have a valuable list of experience that the employers want to read about, so it is best to move your education section to the bottom of your resume. The more you pull focus on your work experience, the better. If you have advanced degrees like master’s or PhD. include those in rank order of level (ex. PhD., Master’s, Bachelor’s, etc.).

Keep your professional experience recent and highlight your impact.
You might have 15 or more years of professional experience, but including jobs older than 15 years may mislead employers from your skills and qualifications and pull attention to your age. It will help if you remove less related careers that do not add value to the specific role you’re applying for. Doing so can also assist you in keeping your resume on one page without using small fonts or extra-thin margins. Your most recent job should include the most extended description, with five to seven detailed bullets.

The rest needs to be shorter.
It would be wise to write about the specific impact you could make at each of your jobs with numbers, if possible, instead of including job descriptions and general duties. For example, a district manager could write, “Exceeded profit goals by 10% in the summer of 2019, beating other districts in sales and profit” instead of “Responsible for meeting profit goals by setting quarterly sales strategies.”

Reviewing job descriptions can also assist you in identifying your industry’s current skills and qualities that align with employer expectations. Using this language in your resume can prove you’re up-to-date with the latest industry standards.