Graduation Dates on Resume

Question
Should people list on their resumes the dates they graduated from high school and/or college, or is it OK not to? And similarly, is it OK not to reveal one's age on a resume?--Jim

Answer
by Yana Parker
Jim, keep in mind that your resume is YOUR DOCUMENT. There is no law about what you can or can't do on it. (Except you can't LIE--if you do, it's grounds for getting fired, later.)

So ... DO list your graduation date IF it works for you to do so, and DON'T when it's not to your advantage to list it. For example, if you have a recent degree in a high-tech field, list the date of graduation because it's an asset. If you have a degree in Ancient Greek from 1968 and you're applying in a high-tech field, don't list the date and don't list the Ancient Greek either!

If your graduation date tips people off that you're old enough to be the target of age discrimination (EITHER too young or too old) THEN you leave it off.
If your graduation date suggests an age that's desirable in your new field, then you DO list it. Suppose your age is 58 AND you've JUST graduated from college 3 years ago. It probably would be to your advantage to list the graduation date.

Bottom line: You do what works to your advantage, WITHOUT creating any overt deception. Revealing your age on your resume is never something you do on purpose. People will try to figure it out from the dates you list, which is why you have to either HELP them figure it out or AVOID helping them figure it out, depending on what works for YOU. You deserve to get in there for an INTERVIEW before somebody makes a judgment about you based on their prejudice about age.

This Q&A is taken from Yana Parker's collections of 50 Job Search Questions & Answers, with permission.