Afraid of Age Discrimination? Here’s How To Keep It From Ruining Your Job Search

In Canada, federal and provincial laws prohibit age discrimination in the workplace. Employers may not discriminate against job seekers in any aspect of employment, including hiring, firing, layoffs, assignments, training, and promotions. Employers are specifically prohibited from making assumptions or decisions based on age stereotypes.

But.

In 2016, an insurance agency cited a study that estimated 60% of Canadians aged 45 and older had experienced workplace discrimination. In 2024, Women of Influence Canada reported that 77.8% of the women surveyed had experienced age discrimination at some point in their careers.

So, despite all legislation to the contrary, age discrimination remains a real problem. And the challenge for job seekers 45 and older is this: How can I minimize the chances of workplace discrimination from affecting my job search?

The first step is to refocus your mind. Don’t worry about your age; you can’t change it. Instead, concentrate on strengthening your resume so that it demonstrates the full value of the skills and experience that you will bring to your next employer.

You can best showcase that value by remembering, selecting and recounting job accomplishments that prove you can thrive on the challenges of the jobs you are applying for. These accomplishments vary depending on the employer’s needs. For example, if a finance company needs a specialist in M&A, document your abilities and successes at each step of the M&A process. If you’re an office manager, show how your improved procedures save time or money. If you’re an electrical engineer, recount how you saved a nine-figure contract from missing its deadline by designing and building a complex junction box at very short notice.

Once you have matched your accomplishments to the target company’s needs, the next step is to present those accomplishments before we reveal your age. This means placing key accomplishments in a separate section at the top of the resume and repositioning the “Education” section, typically a sign of age, so that it follows the “Professional Experience” section. This way, hiring managers see the value in what you will bring to them well before they have a hint of how old you are.

Another way to minimize the impact of your age is to edit your job list. If your work history spans more than fifteen years, refrain from providing information about jobs that ended prior to that date. Instead, add a note like this at the end of your “Professional Experience” section: “Prior experience in the mining industry as Purchasing Agent, Purchasing Manager, and Director of Procurement for a mining company. Details available on request.”

Finally, at the end of the resume, add a Hobbies section and use it to describe how you keep fit. If you are participating in any kind of fitness program, this will show hiring managers that you are less likely than some of your contemporaries to be vulnerable to the challenges of aging.

To your success!