Should You Dumb Down Your Resume?

If you constantly hear the words "you're overqualified" from potential employers, it might be time to make some adjustments on your resume. We're not talking about denying your expertise or years of experience on paper -- just some strategic editing so that your resume doesn't shout, "I'm Old And I'm Expensive."

A few tips:  

• If you graduated from college when the Doobie Brothers were hot, great, but putting 1976 on your resume screams you're middle-aged. It might put off a recruiter who graduated in 1996. Name the school and degree but omit your graduation date.
• If your career spans 15 years or more, forget about work experience beyond the 15-year mark. List what you've done for the last 15. If that doesn't impress, nothing will.
• A lofty title -- say senior executive vice president of marketing -- may make a potential employer fear that you'll demand big bucks and a corner office when all you want is a friggin' job! Avoid that by omitting your former title. In this case, noting that you were a marketing executive, and where, will suffice. Instead of words like "led customer service department," consider downgrading to "handled customer service issues."

by Tory Johnson, Women for Hire
Career expert Tory Johnson is founder of Women for Hire and Workplace Contributor on ABC's Good Morning America. She joins the Florida Conference for Women as keynote speaker and co-host of its ReWork Career Fair.

Comments

[Melissa]

Great, so we can dumb ourselves down as we struggle to get up.

[Claudia]

Why, when the market is over-saturated with candidates, would you want to play down the very things could make you stand out from the pack? What nonesense!

[Tom]

I think this puts it in the wrong light - you should think in terms of targeting your resume, not dumbing it down.

You should NEVER put any dates on your resume that would reveal your age.

[Sharla]

Having worked at a search firm and with recruiting departments, I have seen the things Tory mentioned happen many times. Your resume can definitely give away your age or advertise that you are over qualified for the position for which you are applying. Sadly, age discrimination exists and sometimes employers don't want to pay for your expertise -- or they think that as soon as something better comes along, you'll be out the door.

There are several resume formats out there that allow you to showcase your best skills and down play things that might be seen as negatives to some employers. It's something to keep in mind depending on the industry and position. I'm a high-level executive assistant, but in this economy, even I have a "dumbed down" version of my resume. I'll do whatever it takes.

[Susan]

Just take out some of your amazing skills. You're not dumbing yourself down.

[Cyndy]

She's right on point. After many years building a reputation in my market's advertising community, I recently found myself laid off and looking for a position. Because so many people know me and assume that I need the metaphorical "corner office", finding a new position is very tough. I now find that I might need to do some of the tips mentioned above, and even perhaps look outside of my industry (although it breaks my heart) so that I am not considered over-qualified. So don't assume what she is saying here is anything negative - it's just realistic in this economic environment when they can get someone cheaper and younger easily.

[LK]

This is so true, I've omitted a lot from my last resume so that I could land a part time job at a big company as a cashier. However this job can lead to bigger positions and I'm willing to work my way back up.