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I am working hard at changing my situation/identity from "I am retired now" to "I am working now."
My job hunting coach is telling all of us old looking middle aged unemployed folks that employers expect you to have a LinkedIn presence and will compare it to the information on your resume and online application. He also told us that if your LinkedIn page has a picture there is a 7 times better chance a recruiter will look at it. Verified by this website:
Honestly, I look old, out of shape and just plain terrible in my pictures. I have a few pictures of me when I was younger where I look good but they are not online.
To me the whole movement towards pictures on LinkedIn is just a way to quietly discriminate against older people and ethnic minorities. If pictures are expected on LinkedIn, and you are expected to have a LinkedIn page, then it is only a matter of time before we will be required to have a picture on our resume.
Any advice?
I'm not here to solve this ENTIRE problem; I started hitting the age thing when I was forty!!
If your photos such, have someone else dress you (I'm not kidding; my friend, a seamstress,
notices right away the imperfections, such as half a collar out, etc.)
People in general look a lot more ageless in black & white shots.
So have someone else take a good shot, or over the shoulder, from the side holding a clipboard, etc.
Just a suggestion.
Some employers value age and experience (whether or not they are willing to pay for it). I finally got hired (as a contractor) after a long time being unemployed. My hiring manager, fellow employees, and myself -- we're all in our 50's. Sometimes "like hiring like" works FOR the older employee.
As for the photo, I went out and got a good haircut/style, went home and took a lot of "selfies", trying out different lighting and backgrounds. For better or worse, it's on LinkedIn -- I like being me and not grey box!
Plus, if only the young/attractive folks posted their photos, there would be a skewed view of the business world out there -- we NEED people to help show that not everyone is in their 20s/30s!
There is no need to have a linked-in or any other account on the web in order to find a job. Companies barely have time for anything else and are not going to search for you on some secret, quasi-secret or even public sites. If they do research your resume vs. your web presence it will be because you made one and made it available to them.
Any recruiter who says you must have a linked-in page is simply trying to mine you for other leads to benefit themselves.
Last edited by blktoptrvl; 02-25-2014 at 09:52 PM..
Why do you have to put an image of yourself? You can put an image of something professional, like a stack of books or something. Or just have no image at all.
I question the value of LinkedIn, it seems like 'this years model'. Just another e-toy for techies to sign up for until the next fad comes along (or it gets cluttered with so much crap its useless). Not sure if the picyure is worth it, seems just another way to discriminate if you don't have the 'good chin'.
I am working hard at changing my situation/identity from "I am retired now" to "I am working now."
My job hunting coach is telling all of us old looking middle aged unemployed folks that employers expect you to have a LinkedIn presence and will compare it to the information on your resume and online application. He also told us that if your LinkedIn page has a picture there is a 7 times better chance a recruiter will look at it. Verified by this website:
Honestly, I look old, out of shape and just plain terrible in my pictures. I have a few pictures of me when I was younger where I look good but they are not online.
To me the whole movement towards pictures on LinkedIn is just a way to quietly discriminate against older people and ethnic minorities. If pictures are expected on LinkedIn, and you are expected to have a LinkedIn page, then it is only a matter of time before we will be required to have a picture on our resume.
Any advice?
You could get in shape and use cosmetics and a nice smile to reduce your perceived age and improve your physical appearence. But other than that, you put yourself out there with an accurate description of what makes you really good, and then let the chips fall where they may. If someone does not want you because you're too old for the job, then that's just the way it is. No use bemoaning it. Just overcome it.
You can hide being out of shape - most people only have photos from shoulders up so no way of telling anyway.
I like seeing photos, I think it helps to put a face to a name. Lately I've been dealing with a recruiter in a different city, and I finally saw what she looked like when we connected on LinkedIn.
This. If you're as out of shape as you say and "look 75" then take the time you spend creating new threads and get out there for some fresh air and some exercise. A couple of hours a day and a healthy diet will improve both your body and your mind.
I really don't think this "job support group" you go to is doing you any favors.
The stuff you bring up from there all sounds like rumors and misinformation.
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Photo taken in black & white
