Whether fair or not, age discrimination does exist in today’s workplace, and it is important for older job seekers to be prepared for the challenges they will face. In most cases the discrimination older workers face will not be overt; after all discriminating against job applicants on the basis of age alone is illegal. Instead, the discrimination will likely be more subtle; applicants may never know the reason they did not get the job had anything to do with age. The reasons some companies shy away from older workers are varied, but they include worries about health care costs and fears that older workers will not remain in their jobs over the long haul.

The truth of the matter is older workers have a great deal to offer in the workplace and many companies are actively looking for older, more stable and more experienced workers. By placing the focus on what they are able to contribute, older workers can not only succeed but thrive in even the most challenging job environment.
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Never staple a resume to a second page or cover letter unless specifically asked to do so because the staple prevents the reader from placing the pages side-by-side to view the entire resume at once. Staples also present a problem when the document needs to be copied or faxed and will likely be removed resulting in an unattractive hole in your resume.

A traditional metal paper clip is acceptable for attaching multiple items together (i.e. cover letter, resume, references) but is not necessary for a two page resume. Be sure all of the pages include your name and pages other than the first include a page number so the pages can easily be reconnected should they be separated.

When mailing a resume to a prospective employer, place the resume in an envelope large enough so that pages do not require folding.

A job objective is the merging of your perceived strengths and the job you think those strengths would allow you to be most effective in. Some career counselors advise against objectives statements because they can limit you to a specific position when your skills match several. However in certain cases objectives provide the necessary opportunity to sell facts not easily garnered from an accomplishment oriented resume.

Here are some cases where including an objective might be a good idea:

• Recent college graduates without work history can use the objective to let the potential employer know what type of work they would like to do.
• Those who know exactly what job they want should use the objective to spell out why they are the perfect candidate. Let the employer know you designed your course work around your love of shoes and accounting.
• Those whose career goal isn’t obvious on their resumes. If you worked in finance for 10 years but are looking to work in human resources take this opportunity to let the reviewer know it wasn’t a mistake your resume ended up on their desk, even better, let the reader know what skills and lessons you learned in your prior field that you can bring to the new one.

Finding out whether a position is new or a replacement can be a great help in preparing your resume. If the position is new highlight skills in hiring, budgeting and planning – show the employer you have the skills to get the job started quickly and effectively. If you will be replacing someone find out why as again this will help you to shape what skills are most important on your resume. If the department has been performing poorly then highly any experience you have in turning operations around. If you don’t have turn around experience highlight skills such as mentoring showing your ability to lead and guide employees in need of assistance.