Career Coach: Preventing Age Discrimination

CHICAGO (CBS)-- Through this pandemic, the CBS 2 career coach is giving advice about looking for and landing a job, as we continue Working For Chicago.

This week our career coach is sharing how to prevent possible age discrimination against older job seekers.

"People in that group feel vulnerable, they feel like they're not sure if they are a viable candidate in the marketplace," Lynee Alves, president of Interview Like An Expert, said. "For candidates who have more experience, maybe 20 plus years, there are things you can do to make sure you don't reveal your age."

Alves recommends considering not putting these things on your resume. Leave off your date of birth in your e-mail address, like "johndoe1976." Don't put your graduation year and don't list job experience more than 20 years old that could date you. You can also just leave out the years you worked at those places.

"Focus on those jobs that ask for 10 or 15 years of experience," She said. "That may mean you apply to fewer jobs, but in the end, you're going to have a more focused and productive job search."