How to Brush Up a Resume for Older People: CV Writing Over 50

Tips for older women and men needing to brush up a resume. Mature workers and people who are seniors should write concise, abbreviated CVs and resumes.
Mature people, seniors and the elderly know that getting jobs can be a challenge in today's economy as jobs for older people are at a premium with more men and women delaying retirement. A strong resume or CV (curriculum vitae) can demonstrate that a job candidate's skills, experience, goals, and career objectives are just what the prospective employer is looking for. The job seeker in his or her 50s, 60s and 70s will learn how to brush up a resume, the different types of resume format, and where to find resume templates and samples available for download.

Brush Up a Resume for the New Millennium

For an older person who has not sought new work recently, brushing up a resume is not as simple as adding a new section on one's latest work experience. Over the years, resume formats have changed to become briefer, livelier, and more customized to the job.

• Fill in the gaps in work experience, achievements, and education since the last resume.
• Keep the CV brief and concise.
• Resumes are skimmed, not read. To facilitating skimming, use phrases rather than full sentences and focus on active verbs. For example: "Converted file system from paper to electronic."
• Grab the employer's attention by using industry-specific buzz words. These can often be found in the job listing, itself. For example: "teamwork" and "motivated."
• Modern resumes are upbeat. Rather than referring to a candidate's "job duties" or "work responsibilities," they reference "accomplishments" and "achievements."
• An older worker may have a long work history, so mature applicants should not try to include every qualification, job, skill set, and interest. Be selective and include only the most relevant skills and work experience in the resume or curriculum vitae from the last 15 to 20 years.
• Even if computers are only peripherally involved in the job, include any computer skills, software experience and software training to demonstrate computer literacy.
• Avoid mentioning age, race, religion, or health status.
• Write a separate resume and cover letter not just for each type of job, but for each job applied for.
• Proofread for errors. Twice. Three times.

Resume Format for Seniors and Mature Workers

The days of the long, multi-page CVs are over. With a few exceptions – most notably in academic fields – the length of a resume should not exceed two pages.

Resumes and CVs tend to be structured according to either a chronological template or a functional template. Choose from these two basic resume formats ideal for older workers:

• Chronological resumes are traditional-style resumes that emphasize experience. They present work history in reverse chronological order. They are used when older people have a long work history in a field and are seeking work in that field. List the most recent job, then the various accomplishments for that job, then the next older job, followed by those accomplishments, and so on.
• Functional resumes emphasize skills. They are ideal for when mature people re-enter the job market after a long absence or seek a career change and are without extensive job experience in the desired field. The focus is on their talents, abilities, achievements, and educational qualifications. For example, if an older worker once did some bookkeeping work as part of an administrative position and took classes in bookkeeping, but never had an actual bookkeeping job, a functional resume would group all his bookkeeping experience under the single heading: "Bookkeeping."

What Goes Into a Resume for Older People

Every resume should have:

• The job applicant's contact information, including name, phone number, email address, and physical mailing address.
• An objectives statement, also called a statement of career goals. This is a short one or two-line summary usually placed at the beginning of the resume describing the job applicant's goals. One way to target the resume for the job is to refer to the aims of the employer and the particular job description when writing the statement of objectives.
• A section on work experience. This should include the number of years of employment (avoid actual dates), the job title, the name of the employer, and a concise description of job accomplishments. Only include relatively recent jobs and the work history that's relevant to the job at hand. For example, do not include a veterinary assistant summer job from 30 years ago when applying for a business management position.
• A section on skills. This includes any skills relevant to the job sought as well as personal achievements. Use brief phrases and bullet points to make this section easy to skim.
• A section on education. This includes college degrees, higher degrees, professional degrees, training programs, and any certifications. Do not include dates.
• Optionally, a section on awards and professional affiliations. Mention volunteer activities and personal projects if they are relevant or serve to cover a work history gap.

Free Resume Templates for Older Workers

Mature workers can commission a resume writing firm to create professional resumes or write them using these sample resumes as templates:

• Sample chronological and functional resumes from the Federal Citizen Information Center
• Sample chronological resume .PDF from the AARP
• Sample functional resume .PDF from the AARP
• Microsoft Office has many different free resume and CV templates for use with Microsoft Word, including those for executives and academics.

Resume Writing Over 50

The best way for older people to brush up a resume or CV is to create a new one, either a functional resume or a chronological resume, or a hybrid. Hire a resume writer or use a sample as a template. Make sure to keep the document to two pages, target the resume to the specific job posting, and write in concise phrases using buzz words so it can be easily skimmed by human resources staff or the employment coordinator.

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Resources:
https://www.preceden.com/timelines/784640-educational-issues
https://www.spyropress.com/forums/users/otisanderson/
https://www.thebranfordgroup.com/dnn3/UserProfile/tabid/214/UserId/56415/Default.aspx