By Jeff Altman, Big Game Hunter
EP 3110 “You’re too experienced for this job.” This sentence is a bunch of manipulative garbage used to end a conversation.
If you’ve ever heard this excuse, you know how insulting and frustrating it is. This is a smoke screen.
Have you ever found yourself looking at a job posting and thinking, I’d be a good fit for this position, but am I too perfect? The real concern for many seasoned professionals is that your years of hard work may actually be viewed negatively. But what if the problem isn’t your experience, but how you package it? Let’s get started. Correct? Let’s ask the questions that everyone is concerned about.
You see that character and you know you can absolutely kill it, but then that little voice creeps in. Would they just look at my resume and think, no, too senior, too senior, maybe just too old. It’s certainly an annoying feeling.
So we’re going to take a closer look at what’s really going on behind the scenes. OK So the first thing we need to do is figure out what we’re actually dealing with here.
Is this outright age discrimination or is there another reason? You know, this distinction is absolutely critical because the way you solve a problem depends entirely on the actual circumstances of the problem. So let’s really break it down here. You have ageism, it’s about ugly stereotypes, right? Assumptions about skills or culture are consistent.
But a lot of the time, what you’re actually encountering is this seasoned columnist. This is a practical question. The recruiter discovers that you are a Senior Vice President and you are applying for a Director position.
Their brains don’t age. It turns into money instantly. They thought the man paid too much for the role.
It’s all about the perceived mismatch. OK So if the problem is generally just about cognitive,mismatch, then the solution is pretty clear.
You have to take control of your own story. You will be the one who frames the narrative. So when recruiters look at your profile, they won’t think you’re experienced.
They saw a perfect fit. Now, this first piece of advice may sound a bit strong, butDon’t believe me, it’s so powerful. You don’t need to list every job you’ve had since the beginning, especially any job before 2000.
Use this 15-minute strategy to land a job (even before posting)
It’s time to become a ruthless but smart professional editor. The process is actually very simple. You just go back through your entire work history and find those roles from way back, and then you can get rid of them.
Seriously, delete them. You know, not just make the fonts smaller, remove them completely. The focus is on cutting through the clutter and directing their eyes to the most relevant and up-to-date content.
Well, let’s talk about one core idea that will really change the way you build your resume from now on. We call it the “10-year rule,” and its purpose is to ensure that recruiters’ attention is entirely focused on what’s most important for the role they currently need to fill. this.
This is a magic number. 10. Just remember this.
10 years. This will become the new most important north star of your resume. In a nutshell, here are the rules.
In most cases, recruiters really only care about what you’ve been up to lately. What you have accomplished over the past ten years. This is what proves you’re ready for the job today.
Everything before was just ancient history to them. I mean, think about it. For example, the world of work was completely different before 9-11.
Technology is different. The strategies are different. The chance that your experience back then is directly applicable to today’s position is quite slim.
So you have to focus all your attention on your most recent and impactful work. OK Now, to really understand this, we need to take a minute to get into the minds of recruiters, because when you understand their world and the challenges they face, you’ll understand why trimming and organizing your resume is so non-negotiable.
Recruiters know something you don’t: They won’t fill that many positions
OK This is the tough love part. That recruiter is probably inundated with resumes.
They won’t spend five minutes figuring out your career path. They won’t connect the dots for you. If they see a director position with 25 years of experience, they will just think your salary is too high and move on.
They’re looking for a quick, easy “yes.” This means the burden is on you, not them. Your job is to read the job description, figure out what their biggest pain points are, and then craft your resume that screams, I am the solution to your problem.
You can’t make them do the job. So, after all that, what’s the one thing you need to take away? It all really comes down to one simple yet powerful idea. That’s it.
That’s the whole game. Every edit you make, every piece of work you remove, every point you rewrite, should be for one reason and one reason only, to make it ridiculously and blindly obvious to busy recruiters that you are the right person for the job. So, I’ll give you a little challenge.
Open your resume or LinkedIn profile now. Take a good hard look at it and ask yourself, what is one old, less relevant thing you can delete today so that it will be easier for someone to say yes to you tomorrow?
About Big Game Hunter Jeff Altman
People hire “Big Game Hunter” Jeff Altman to provide no-nonsense career advice around the world because he makes so many things in people’s careers easier. These things may involve job search, recruiting more effectively, managing and leading better, caregiver transition, and advice on solving workplace problems.
He is the producer and former host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 job search podcast on iTunes with over 3,100 episodes.
Your digital first impression may get you rejected
You’ll find important information to help you with your job search on my new website, Job Hunting.Community In addition to video courses, books, and guides, I answer members’ questions about their job search every day. Leave your job search questions and I will respond every day. Becoming an Insider+ member gives you everything you get as an Insider+ member, plus you can connect with me via Zoom call to get your questions answered. Become an Insider Premium member and we offer individual and group coaching.
Your digital first impression may get you rejected
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