Millennials navigating a tightening white-collar job market are increasingly being told to downplay their own experience—sometimes by a decade or more—in order to stay competitive.
The shift has been fueled in part by viral career advice, including a widely circulated TikTok from resume coach @resumeofficial that argues that job seekers may be “looking too old” on their resume and should consider trimming their work history to better align with job postings.
The video suggests limiting experience to roughly 10 years and tailoring resumes to match employer expectations rather than documenting a full career history.
That advice appears to reflect a broader trend.
According to Fortune, millennials in their 30s and 40s are increasingly editing down their resumes and LinkedIn profiles, often removing older roles or graduation dates to avoid potential age bias.
The practice, sometimes referred to as “age-proofing,” is also recommended by AARP, which advises candidates to focus on recent experience and remove outdated signals such as legacy email domains.
Data underscores the concern. About 90 percent of workers over 40 report experiencing age discrimination, according to a 2024 Resume Now survey cited by Fortune.
At the same time, ongoing layoffs in mid-level corporate roles have intensified competition, pushing more experienced candidates into a crowded job market where perception can influence hiring outcomes.
On Reddit, users discussing the trend described a balancing act between showcasing expertise and avoiding being screened out.
One wrote, “Anything over 15 years is removed from my resume. Also, my graduation dates are not on it… I have about seven resumes—those targeting new positions and recent tech stacks, and other resumes targeting ‘legacy’ tech stacks.”
Another noted, “Ageism is everywhere in every industry. The best way to Botox your resume is to cut it down to only the last 15 to 20 years of work and remove key age indicators like college or school graduation dates.”
‘Struggling’
Others highlighted the contradictions in hiring expectations.
“One of the excuses I hear most for why applicants get passed over is because they ‘went with someone with more experience.’ Yet us oldies are told to suppress our experience,” one Reddit user wrote.
“As a person over 50 with 20 [plus] years of experience, I am struggling to find that magic number,” they continued.
Career experts say the issue is longstanding but may be evolving alongside hiring technology.
“If you haven’t felt the pinch of ageism yet, trust us, you will,” according to an AARP report cited by executive career strategist Meg Guiseppi on ExecutiveCareerBrand.com.
“If you apply for a job online, there’s a good chance that a screening algorithm will automatically disqualify you because of your age.”
Reframing Experience
While some advisors encourage minimizing older experience, others argue that candidates should reframe it instead.
New York University professor Suzy Welch said on her podcast, cited by Fortune, that job seekers must demonstrate adaptability and forward-thinking skills.
“[Gen Z and young millennials] have a totally different language. They care about totally different things,” she said.
The tension leaves many workers navigating a job market where experience remains valuable—but not always visibly so.
Newsweek has reached out to @resumeofficial for comment via TikTok. We could not verify the details of the case.