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Dates or No Dates - Chronological vs. Functional Resumes

    As baby boomers grow older and recareer rather than retire, an increasing amount of controversy has developed on whether one should put dates – of employment, of graduation – on one’s resume. Some experts argue that a resume written without dates places all applicants on a level playing field; now employers are looking at equivalent skills and accomplishments rather than age, which could be a matter for discrimination. Other experts point out that without dates, a resume is not easily verifiable, and suspicious gaps in unemployment or too many jobs in a short period of time become impossible to spot. 

  So what’s the verdict? Most employers are definitely more comfortable with dates; they like having all the facts laid out on the table. On the other hand, employers might also like to know if an applicant is a single parent with small children who may require frequent absences from work, and resumes don’t provide that kind of information – although they used to. In the not-too-distant future, it may become more common to see resumes written without dates as well. 

  Right now, however, dateless resumes raise red flags, causing the employer to suspect the possibility of something much more dire than middle age. Because the absence of dates does open the door to hiding (for example) lengthy periods of incarceration, it is probably a much better idea to provide proof of consistent employment, and that means giving dates of employment. Similarly, the employer would probably rather know you graduated from Penn State in 1970 than simply that you graduated from Penn State, which might lead him to wonder if you actually graduated at all.  

  So today, the verdict comes down in favor of dates. Tomorrow – who knows? 

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