Resume Tips For Older Professionals
When applying to jobs as an older professional, you can stay competitive with other applicants by creating a resume that highlights your extensive experience while also proving have adapted to updates in your field throughout your career. You can update your resume to achieve these goals. In this article, we provide 10 resume tips for older professionals, including a template and an example to help you create your own.
Including Additional Dates On Your Resume
If you’ve taken professional development courses or;other educational classes, it’s not necessary to list dates. If you have certifications, you should list the dates because employers will want to know that your accreditations are current.
When leaving experience and dates off a resume, do it strategically.
A resume, for example, with only a few jobs when you’re an experienced candidate or a resume with no dates at all, can be a red flag for hiring managers. Be sure your resume provides a clear synopsis of your;work history;to employers.
If the positions you held earlier in your career are relevant to your current objectives, consider shortening the descriptions of your jobs to reduce the length of your resume rather than deleting the positions from your resume.
Can You Have Too Many Jobs On Your Resume
Should your resume and SEEK Profile show your stints as a part-time shop assistant, childrens party clown or kitchen hand? The short answer is, no.;Heres your guide on what to include and what to exclude when it comes to job titles.;
If youre in a middle or senior role says recruitment professional Penni Hlaca, your employer-to-be doesnt need to know that you rolled ice creams after school, as she did.
Adding irrelevant roles simply makes your resume longer and increases the chances that a potential employer could lose concentration.
There are however three exceptions to the rule on whether you should include your summer stint at an ice-cream store on your resume:
In all other cases, excess jobs can be taken out whilst still being truthful, says Hlaca. The rule of thumb is to go into detail for your last three jobs only. Previous roles just need to be listed in brief with names of employers, dates of employment and role title.;
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Highlight Former Achievements In A New Way
Of course, if you’ve got an impressive accomplishment or title sitting outside that two-decade limit, include it.
“If 30 years ago is the role where you discovered a patent still in use today, you ought to mention that,” says Ceniza-Levine.
You have a few different options for how you chose to work that information in. If a title you’ve held or company you’ve worked for is likely to impress a recruiter, consider a section called “earlier work history” or something similar where you can simply list previous jobs, by noting only the title, company and location, says Amanda Augustine, a career coach with TopResume. Or you could try including it in a “career notes” or “career highlights” section at the bottom of your current work experience by writing something like: “additional experience working for ABC company or serving clients like XYZ,” adds Augustine.
If the role you want to include is one where you did discover a patent or win an impressive industry award, you could also draw attention to this by folding such an achievement into the summary statement, which is typically a short paragraph at the top of your resume that acts as an elevator pitch to readers selling your skills and experience. Or you could include it in a section following your work history that lists awards or accomplishments you’ve earned over the course of your career.
Dont Fudge The Format
Though you may hear people suggest that a functional resume style is ideal for older workers, dont fall for it. I never recommend using a functional resume, says Isaacs. This type of format is typically used by job seekers trying to hide something, and employers know that so they start looking for potential issues as soon as they start reading.
Also worth noting: Functional resumes do not perform well in applicant tracking systems.
Isaacs suggests sticking with the traditional reverse chronological format. As long as yours is visually distinctive, concise, and to the point, theres no need to mess with what works.
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Consider A Hybrid Resume
For many older job seekers, it may be best to use a hybrid resume. This resume style allows you to highlight your relevant skills at the top of the resume without drawing attention to your dates of employment. While you include your work history in chronological order, it doesnt take center stage. Instead, you draw the recruiters attention to your relevant skills and experiences without advertising how long youve worked somewhere.
That said, there may be relevant or important work experiences that you want to include on your resume. In that case, consider adding an additional related experience section to your resume. You can put it just below your regular work history but before your education section. When you list the additional experiences, dont mention dates. Heres an example:
The one problem with a hybrid resume, though, is that some hiring managers consider it a red flag. Some people use a hybrid resume to hide blemishes in their work history . A recruiter may jump to the same conclusion about your hybrid resume, even when thats not the case.
How To List Accomplishments On A Resume
Listing accomplishments on your resume can get you more job interviews, but theres a right and wrong way to do it.;
And many job seekers waste a big opportunity by not knowing:
- What type of accomplishments to include
- The two best places to put these achievements on your resume to get noticed by employers
- How to start gathering ideas if you cant think of any accomplishments to begin with
Im going to cover everything above and show you how to come up with good accomplishments for a resume in any industry
Ill also share 35+ resume accomplishment examples to help you start writing your own resume.
Lets get started
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Focus On Your Recent Experience
The further along you are in your career, the less relevant your earlier work experience becomes. Employers care most about your recent work that matters for the roles they’re filling, not your experience from 15 or more years ago. As a result, give more detail about the positions you’ve held in the past 1015 years that are related to your current job search and say less about your earliest jobs.
Aim For Visual Balance
If content is king in a resume, then design is queen. How your information is formatted is just as important as the information itself. Focus on leveraging a combination of short blurbs and bullet points to make it easy for the reader to quickly scan your resume and find the most important details that support your candidacy.
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Bring In The Prosfor Free
It’s not the easiest thing to write;a resume that highlights your skills and experience but doesn’t make your age a focal point. Looking for a simple way to increase the chances that;your resume will be noticed?;Get a free resume evaluation today from the experts at;Monster’s Resume Writing Service. You’ll get detailed feedback in two business days, including a review of;your resume’s appearance and content, and a prediction of a recruiter’s first impression. It’s a smart move no matter what stage your career is at.
Consider The Level Of The Role
The level of the position you are applying for can also determine the amount of experience to include on your resume. Senior roles can have up to 15 years of experience or more if the information can boost your candidacy. If you are applying for a mid-level position, a 10-year employment history is ideal. Entry-level positions usually include up to five years of career experience.
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Resume Example And Template
This is an example of a resume with earlier jobs listed as additional experience. or see the text version below.
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANTProviding confidential and diversified administrative support to C-level executivesHighly organized and personable Executive Assistant well-versed in meeting and event coordination, calendaring and appointment scheduling, reception, correspondence drafting, and travel planning.
Creative and skilled in using Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe Creative Cloud to develop dynamic corporate communications materials, newsletters, and presentations.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
ABC ENTERPRISES, Tampa, FloridaEXECUTIVE ASSISTANT;Meticulously perform executive administrative functions for C-level officers of global development group. Schedule and supervise team of five administrative assistants and receptionists; make all arrangements for travel, public and stakeholder relations functions, conferences, and meetings.;Notable accomplishments:
- Spearheaded offices transition to cloud-based corporate communications technologies.
- Successfully negotiated cost-effective contracts with vendors, caterers, resorts, and other service providers that reduced annual costs by more than $25K.
- Orchestrated all details for major stockholder events including annual meetings, golf tournaments, and receptions.
- Set up and administered CEOs social media presence on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
EDUCATION & CREDENTIALS
Formatting Tips And How To Include Older Experience
Listing 20 or 30 years of experience can clutter up your resume and make it much too long. Unless you are a senior executive, the;ideal resume length;is one to two pages. The key to a winning resume is providing;relevant;details on your work history not;every;detail.;
When you leave off employment information, you need to be consistent and still provide a timeline of your work history to employers.
Leave off your oldest jobs when editing your resume, not random positions.
If you worked in a relevant position 17 years ago, you will need to include all the jobs you’ve held for the past 17 years .;
If you worked at prestigious companies 15+ years ago, or want to have a full history on your resume, you can list job title, company name, and the year you worked there, and not include details on responsibilities. This will get the information on the page without taking up too much space.;
Or you can list the positions as additional experience below your current work history :
~ Additional experience includes roles as an Executive Assistant for Techno Corporation and as Administrative Assistant for XZY Medical Group . ~
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Mistake #: Thinking Its All About You And Not About The Employer
The average job seeker thinks their resume work history is all about them. They decide what THEY want to write, what THEY care about, etc.
Thats a backward approach, believe it or not. .
The best way to approach writing your resume employment history is to think of the employer. Look at their job description. What are their needs? What skills do they care about?
Thats why I mentioned tailoring your resume in the previous section. Its incredibly important. Dont write your previous work experience without a few job descriptions in front of you for the jobs you want to get!
Thats how to make sure what youre writing will get you interviews.;
Most of the mistakes above should be review if you read the entire article above. If not, go back and make sure youve read everything.
You only get one shot to impress employers with your resume, and;theyre looking at your previous work experience within 10 seconds of opening your resume.;
Mistake No : You Highlight A Career Objective
Still sporting an objective at the top of your resume? Get rid of it, says Bugni.
Rather than leading with what;youre;looking for in a job, focus on your prospective employers needs by writing a career summary instead. This section should explain, briefly , what skills and experience you bring to the table, and how youll add value to the company.
It should also have a headline describing your profession and level of experience.
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Jobs For Mature Professionals
A resume, also known as the CV, is a summary of your professional experience, education and training, and skills. Recruiters use resumes to determine which candidates for the role are suitable for interview. That’s why a resume is a key tool for anyone who is searching for a job.
If you’re thinking about the ideal resume format for 50-year-olds, it’s worth knowing that there are several types of resumes you can use in your job search:
- A reverse chronological resume lists your experience and job roles from the most recent to the oldest.;
- A functional resume focuses more on skills and ability than timing.
- A hybrid or combination resume that includes both skills and job roles.;
Learn more about resumes in What is a Resume?
When you look at resume examples for older workers, it seems that a functional resume could be the best choice. That’s because by omitting dates, you won’t be excluded because of your age. But, as you’ll see later, it’s not quite so simple. There are some dates you’ve got to include.;
Whichever type of resume you choose, most sample resumes for older workers have some common elements. These include an introductory section, contact details, and information about skills, experience, education, and training. We’ll look at these in more detail in the next section.;
Dont Use Outdated Terms
While youre updating your formatting, update your words as well. Certain terms are not used on resumes anymore. For example, a professional summary;is preferred over an objective. And, if you mention your excellent word processing skills, youll reveal to the hiring manager that you havent kept up on the latest developments in word processing.
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Lean Into Your Resume Gap
Whereas some older workers have to overcome the perception that they have too much experience, others need to explain a gap in their resume. If you stepped out of the workforce to raise children or care for parents or have been unemployed due to layoffs, you may be wondering how to handle it on your resume.
Fortunately, hiring managers are familiar with resume gaps, so this isnt necessarily a cause for alarm or worry. If youve been out of work for a while, dont try to hide it. Be honest and be prepared to address your resume gap positively and professionally if you land an interview.
To get that interview, list on your resume the years you held each position before you left the workforce. Also, be sure to include volunteer and community engagement work you may have done in the meantime. If you were on a board of directors or an advisory board, add that, along with officer roles with responsibilities in national organizations and associations, co-op boards, parent-teacher organizations, and so on. List any achievements or skills you attained in those roles that meet the requirements of the job for which youre applying.
How To Overcome An Employment Gap In Your Work History
There are two basic criteria you need to consider when thinking about the seriousness of an employment gap on your resume: their duration and how recent they were.
- Short gaps dont matter.;Work gaps dont generally become red flags unless they lasted for more than six months.
- Old gaps dont matter either. Recruiters are interested in recent history and wont investigate things that no longer have an impact on the present.
But maybe your resume employment gaps are recent and quite long. What to do then?
- Change the way you write dates. Simply exclude months and the gap might disappear. So, instead of writing , , you write;,;. Obviously, this technique works best for employment gaps that took place within a single calendar year.
- Consider changing the format of your resume. You should use the functional resume format. It shifts attention to your strengths and job-relevant skills rather than your work history.
- Make the most of your employment gap. Starting a business, freelancing, studying, volunteering, taking a purposeful sabbatical all these count as valuable experience. List these experiences along with other positions you held in the work experience section. Describe how you expanded your skillset.
- Boost your credibility with references. Ask your former employers, ex-colleagues and other industry professionals if theyre willing to vouch for you. Include their names and contact information directly in your resume or attach an additional page to your resume.
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Use A Resume Template
If you’re concerned about getting resume formatting right, a good approach is to use a resume template. This makes it easy to create your resume the right way without having to think about fiddly details. A great place to start your search for a professional resume template is Envato Elements. You can download as many resume templates as you want for one low price.;
The right resume template will include section headings that match modern standards, the right fonts, and a beautiful layout. These will help you ensure that your resume gets recruiters’ attention.
Only Include The Last 10 To 15 Years Of Experience
Another of our top resume tips for older workers involves relevancy. Instead of including every bit of work experience youâve had, stick to the relevant jobs.
How many years of experience do you need to include on a resume?
Your best option is to only include experience within the last ten to fifteen years.
You can add a line at the end of your experience section, noting that additional experience is available upon request.
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