Senior Resume - Avoid These 5 Common Mistakes On Your Senior Resume

© David Alan Carter
All Rights Reserved

If you're over 50 and looking for a job, you already know that you face challenges that a 20-something can't imagine. Right or wrong, in the eyes of many employers, you are...

• Old
• Technically Inept
• Risky, From A Health Insurance Perspective

You've got a couple of options. You can fight those perceptions politically; start a movement, join a campaign, run for public office. Or you can brush off those perceptions and focus on getting a job. If you choose the latter, your resume can go a long way toward furthering that goal. But first, you need to avoid making the resume mistakes common to people over the age of 50.

5 Mistakes to Avoid On Your Senior Resume

Senior Resume Mistake #1 - Listing Too Many Jobs. Most seniors feel compelled to list and detail every job they've ever held since high school. Big mistake. That's a sure way to date yourself and guarantee your resume a spot in the circular file. Instead, focus on the most recent 10 to 15 years, assuming those years were spent in occupations relevant to the position you desire.

Senior Resume Mistake #2 - Omitting A Profile Or Summary Section. A relatively contemporary (and I would argue, the most important) section of the resume, a profile or summary statement is commonly ignored by seniors. Don't you do it. This is your opportunity to pitch your most impressive skills, abilities and personal attributes to the hiring official within the critical first few lines of the resume. Find out how to write a dynamite summary section, or find someone who can.

Senior Resume Mistake #3 - Trusting In The Resume Standards Of Yore. Everyone over the age of 50 remembers resumes that contained personal information: martial status, number of children, interests and hobbies. Of course, we also remember Leave It To Beaver and The Andy Griffith Show. Trouble is, we're not in Mayberry anymore. Include a "Personal" section on your resume, and you've just solidified your status as a geezer still stuck in the 60's.

Senior Resume Mistake #4 - Looking Low Tech. I know – that Smith Corona is likely to last forever. But that doesn't mean you are well served by using that antiquated device to hammer out a resume. Good God, man, get thee to a computer! Employers today expect to see modern fonts and crisp layouts that only a computer and laser printer can produce. Either that, or they expect email attachments and PDF files. If all of this sounds Greek, hire out the preparation of your resume to a professional.

Senior Resume Mistake #5 - Putting Dates On Educational Achievements. If your schooling was so distant in the past that you can only remember the details "on good days," it's time to leave graduation dates off the resume. Do include details on any seminars or continuing education courses you've taken since graduation – especially if your highest level of educational attainment was high school, and particularly if those courses are relevant to your career objectives.

You Just Need A Foot In The Door

Seniors won't be able to hide their ages beyond that first glace in that first face-to-face interview. But by then – hopefully – the resume will have prepared the hiring official for a candidate who's uniquely qualified for the job at hand. The rest is up to you.

A Final Thought...

It's no secret that resumes for Boomers and seniors are particularly challenging to write. If you're faced with writing such a resume, or if you're finding that your work history or job qualifications are difficult for you to express in a promotional and unbiased manner, the services of a professional resume writer might make sense.

If you opt for some help, seek out a certified resume writer, and a writer who will guarantee the resume he creates will generate interviews. Yes, they're out there.

In fact, I can help you identify that "pro," that special writer who is qualified to deliver a polished document that puts your best foot forward in a tough job market. Our home page Top Resume Services identifies 10 or more of the more popular companies out there, and I rank these writers on values like...

• Quality of workmanship
• Credentials
• Pricing
• Guarantees

You’ll find star rankings, mini-reviews, and in-depth reviews on each of the 10 companies. Whether you go it alone or trust the services of a pro writer, I wish you the best of luck in your job search! 

– David

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