Putting what dates you graduated from high school/college...

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Can't your age be inferred from that? I thought asking your age was illegal.

I'm looking for a job and since it's a crappy one, I don't want people to know how old I am. I haven't done a resume in like five years so I don't remember if there's a workaround for this. Right now I'm just following the template that comes with Works and it's asking for dates.

I searched and couldn't find anything so I'll ask in this topic:

Is there a good site that explains how to do a resume? I need this done by tomorrow and I'm ready to just not bother. It's for some stupid dead end job that probably doesn't even pay minimum wage (they try as often as possible to get people to volunteer instead).

By tomorrow? Darn. I work at a staffing firm; I could have asked my coworkers for tips/resources.

It is unnecessary to put school dates. However, if you graduated with a degree, you should make that clear; many people leave that off their resume (whether or not they include dates) assuming it is just understood that they have achieved a degree.

Try not to make the resume longer than one page. Be clear and concise. Tell them what they want to hear and no more.

Good luck!

Well not until 7PM EST.

Thanks.

I just found out that for resumes you can leave the dates off, and that it's actually a good idea to do so to reduce age discrimination. It's a different matter with applications as employers use them to verify your information, which includes any degrees or diplomas you've earned.

Frankly, it's a problem.

Age discrimination is real, and I believe it starts as low as 30...depending on the agenda and prejudices of the employer.

My take is that employers fall into two basic categories to some degree or another.

1. The Exploiter - they want someone gullible enough to live for their career at the expense of anything else that should be more important. For these types, older people run the risk of "experience" teaching them that some things come before career. They want an older person to prove their blind dedication to job before all other things.

2. He Who Has High Expectations - they want someone who has proven themselves, and the older you are, the more "accomplishment" they expect to see. Older people who have held low-end jobs or have nothing but education to show off are perceived as incapable or untested and simply not desirable choices.

At the age of 30, you can get it from both angles, and getting older doesn't help...especially in a tough job market. A young person might be hampered by inexperience, but most employers account for that when they evaluate a candidate. An older person with an unimpressive resume really is at a disadvantage.

They are not supposed to ask your age....but many places will have a spot for you to declare when you attended school. This is really inappropriate, but you are correct....if they know when you went to school (or graduated) they can reverse-calculate when you were likely born. I finished graduate school in 2001. Presuming the average college graduate is 25, add 3, that's 28 (I actually was 33). It's now 2009. So, they know I'm at least 33 or older just from when I finished graduate school.