Job seekers of all ages face challenges when writing a resume. For older workers, however, resume writing is especially difficult due to unique job-hunting issues that arise from age discrimination.
As a seasoned job seeker looking to re-enter the workforce or take the next step in your career, you need to know a few tips to stand out from the younger competition and land an interview. Here are two sample resumes for older workers and five resume writing tips to help you get a great job.
To give you an idea of what hiring managers expect from you, here are two examples of resumes for older workers to look at before you write your resume:
The example below shows you how to fit 25+ years of relevant work history on your resume (tap or move your mouse over the sample, and then click the arrow at the bottom to view both pages of the resume):
Resume for Older Workers with 25 Years of Experience
Download This Free Example
Tip
Remove outdated skills like “Excellent handwriting” or “Windows Vista expertise” from your resume because they make your qualifications appear dated.
Are you re-entering the workforce after deciding to return from retirement? Here’s an example of a resume written for a senior returning to work after a career break:
This older applicant filled in their career gap with an additional experience section.Download This Free Example
Tip
Be prepared to explain your resume gap in interviews. Talk about relevant skills and life lessons you learned during your career break.
Use the following tips to write a resume that sets you apart from younger job seekers and minimizes your risk of experiencing age discrimination:
Hiring managers focus on your skills and experience to determine if you’re a good fit for the position. So choose a resume format that showcases your most relevant qualifications.
For example, a chronological resume is ideal if you have no career gaps because it clearly shows your career progression.
But a functional resume emphasizes your skills and education, so it’s best if you have minimal relevant experience in your target industry.
How long your resume should be depends on your experience. If you have:
Here are some tips to follow to ensure your resume formatting is up-to-date:
Don’t list your graduation datesIncluding your graduation dates on your resume highlights your age, which could be an issue if the hiring manager is younger than you are. So when you list your diploma or degree on your resume, remove the dates, like this:
Date
LASELL UNIVERSITY, Newton, MA
Master of Science in Communication (concentration: public relations), June 1994
Honors: cum laude (GPA: 3.6/4.0)
No Date
LASELL UNIVERSITY, Newton, MA
Master of Science in Communication (concentration: public relations)
Honors: cum laude (GPA: 3.6/4.0)
However, if you recently completed a certification, master’s or Ph.D., include your graduation year in your resume to show that your education and training are current.
We live in an increasingly technological world, and most jobs require at least basic computer skills. Show your technical expertise on your resume so hiring managers don’t assume that you’re an older worker who hasn’t kept your technical skills up-to-date.
Here are some examples of skills to list on your resume that show your target employer you’re experienced:
Provide data and examples of how you used your technical skills to create value for your employer. Giving hard numbers and examples helps convince the hiring manager you’re qualified for the job.
Tip
If you lack hard skills required for your target job, ensure your resume includes examples of how you’ve used your soft skills to quickly learn similar information in the past.
As an older worker, you’ve probably held many different jobs. But don’t include all your jobs on your resume.
Usually, you should only include the last decade of relevant experience
to make your resume concise and emphasize your current skills and value.
However, if your work history that best matches the requirements for the job you want is more than 10 years old, add it to your resume.
Tip
Using a minimalist resume format allows you to list only noteworthy job experience, without you running the risk of your resume looking inadequate and unqualified.
Submitting your resume in a modern resume template is a great way to show hiring managers that you’ll fit well in a modern workplace. Here’s how to upgrade your resume with a template:
Tip
When you pick a resume template, ensure you can get a matching cover letter template to help the hiring manager keep your application organized and separate from other applicants’ documents.
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Aaron Case is a Content Specialist & Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) at Resume Genius, where he loves writing resume and cover letter tips that give job... more
It is normal to have felt that you won’t ever have to write a resume again after your retirement. However, plans change and you may now need an additional source of income or something to fill a void.
As a retiree, you have lots of skills and experience to offer your potential employers. You can highlight all you have to offer in a retiree resume. It can also help you land a role that suits your present situation.
In this guide, we will be providing you with well-detailed information on how to write a resume for a retired person. If you do not have time to do all this, you can check our top of the best resume writers.
What Is a Retiree Resume?A resume for retired person is a type of resume that is written by someone who is currently retired but looking to return to employment.
It has to be structured in a way that shows your potential employer why you are the most qualified candidate.
Hence, it should highlight the skills and experience that you have garnered from your previous employment. Learning how to write it is as easy as learning how to send unsolicited resume.
Best Resume Format for a Retired PersonWhen writing a resume for retirees, you may either use the chronological or functional format. You should have a good idea of how a traditional chronological resume is written. In this format, you will have to list all the positions that you have held, starting with the latest, and in the reverse order.
Alternatively, you may opt for the functional format. This format involves you listing the work that qualifies you the most for a role at the upper part of your CV. The time that you held the position shouldn’t be considered. It is the best method of making career changes less evident and removing gaps from one’s employment history.
Which is the ideal format for a returning to work after retirement resume? A chronological resume is more suitable for someone who is trying to get to a field he or she has just retired from. Meanwhile, a functional resume is an ideal choice for people that retired a while ago or took a break in between their careers.
Tips for Writing a Resume for a Retired PersonA conventional resume is an excellent template for resumes for retirees. But if you want to, you can develop a completely new job summary. The information below will show you how to write a resume for a retired person perfectly:
Try not to include information that isn’t related to the role that you are applying for. Old positions and expired certifications should be excluded. Check out job listings for your past roles and ensure that your language is in line with that of others in the industry.
That way, you can create a trendy job history.
Also, you should only reference dates or years of experience that pertain to the job description. For instance, you may write that you have a decade worth of experience in sales.
You should look at your preferred job listings and search for the in-demand skills that you have. Soft skills such as communication and teamwork in particular are vital. You should also include skills that show that you are prepared to learn new things. Your resume should reflect how knowledgeable and experienced you are.
Additionally, you should pay attention to the summary close to the upper part of your resume. Describing your relevant experience and skills in this section can be very beneficial. Mention the technology that you can work with, it will be even better if it’s new or listed in your preferred job description.
You should also add any training or workshop from the last couple of years. Your resume should be revamped if strong verbs haven’t been used to describe your professional accomplishments.
If it has been over a year since you retired, you should describe how you utilized your time for growth. You should also add any volunteer work or new skills you acquired, they don’t have to be related to the role that you are trying to get. For instance, you may mention how you participated in continuing education classes. Your potential employer will be more interested in hiring you if you show that you used your free time productively.
Returning to Work After Retirement Resume ExampleLet’s take a look at an example of a functional resume for retired person returning to work. This should give you a good idea of how to write yours:
(Name)
(Email)
(Location)
Summary
A dedicated office manager who has always surpassed performance goals. Helps teams to meet their target and give customers the best experience.
Skills
The training covered billing, booking appointments, and customer service.Experience
*Office Manager, Safe Hands: Long Island, NY*
*Office Lead, The Wright Company: Buffalo, NY*
*Front Office Assistant, Standard Dental: Rochester, NY”
Education
BSc in Business Management, Fordham University, NY, New York.
Certifications
Certified Office Manager
Sections to Include in a Retired Person’s ResumeThere are certain sections that you have to include in your retirement job history just like when writing a family business resume or listing patents on resume.
You should start with a header that contains your contact information. This should include your main email address and maybe a phone number.
Next in line should be the skills section. Here, you should list out the skills you gained during your time of employment and how you used them. Follow this section with an experience section in which you describe your work history. You should also consider adding a resume objective for retired person.
Remember that this could either be in a chronological or functional format, depending on what suits your situation best.
Next, add an education section to provide your potential employer with a view of your academic background. You may include an additional section for any certification that you have received in a retired resume.
Key TakeawaysA well-written resume for a retired person will go a long way in getting you back in employment. We have done our best to provide all the information you need to get it done in this guide.
Remember to opt for a format that describes your qualifications the best.
You should also add only relevant information and modern skills. If you feel a need to, you may pad your resume too.
FAQA retired person may decide to get a new job to increase his or her income, find something interesting, or share experience.
A resume for retired person looking for part-time job or full-time job should consist of the same information as a regular resume. However, more focus should be placed on the skills and qualifications you garnered during your employment.
A retirement resume is a form of resume for a person who is currently retired but wants to start working again.
Your summary statement should tell your employer about your relevant experience and skills.
This may include tools you can use or recent training or workshops.
First, you should avoid using first-person and third-person pronouns in your resume for retiree returning to work. You should also use sentence fragments only. Finally, use action verbs instead of passive verbs.
Secrets of the resume
Evgeniya Shaforostova
Career Adviser
According to statistics, today every fifth pensioner in Russia continues to work. Everyone's reasons are different. Someone does not have enough money for a decent standard of living, and someone is simply too young due to the specifics of the profession and is eager to continue working.
Candidates aged 50+ in most cases scare away potential employers. But this does not mean that you need to give up and only grow zucchini in the country.
You can always find a job to your liking. We will tell you what are the nuances in resumes of pensioners will help you with this.
Contents
Russian laws prohibit discrimination against candidates based on age. But this is on paper. In fact, employers have long formed the image of an ideal employee - this is a man who is 30-35 years old. Let's not pay attention to gender injustice, but try to understand why age applicants did not please employers.
Obviously, employers prefer not to hire candidates over 50-60 years old. This can be seen in the veiled phrases about “a young, friendly team” and refusals when “your experience is interesting, but the management preferred another candidate.
” There are several explanations for this trend:
In addition to the above reasons, there are more pragmatic ones. For example, the average age of the team, with which it is difficult for a 50+ candidate to be “on the same wavelength”. Or the reluctance to take on experienced, albeit middle-aged applicants, because they will have to pay more than the market average.
If you are a little over thirty, there is hope... to find a job to your liking and with a good salary. But get ready to work hard, namely to make the right resume.
All pensioners have a profession and extensive work experience behind them, so it is better to look for work in their specialty. For example, if you have worked as an accountant all your life, you can easily find a job in an outsourcing company.
A pensioner's resume for any job should immediately attract attention. Praise yourself, talk about your competencies, achievements in the profession. And don't be shy. Remember, modesty adorns those who have nothing else to decorate themselves with.
To make the appearance of the resume also on the level, use ready-made templates. They provide everything to impress the employer and switch attention from age to experience, competencies, achievements. In addition, the ability of the applicant to use the online designer already speaks volumes.
In addition to the required information, we recommend that employers provide additional information about themselves.
Personal qualities. We are sure that you have a lot of positive characteristics, but it is not necessary to mention them all in the resume. It is enough to write 3-4, but such that are most suitable for the desired position.
| Sales manager | communication skills; team work; · the ability to win over. |
| watchman | discipline; politeness; persistence. |
| Director | organizational skills; charm; · the ability to teach. |
| Accountant | neatness; perseverance; Attention to detail. |
Recommendation . Provide contacts of those who can talk about you as a professional.
Be sure to include their full name, place of work, position and phone number.
Hobby. Another opportunity to gently hint that age is not a hindrance to you. Write about your sports or intellectual hobbies. This will emphasize your active position and good physical shape.
In addition, you can talk about your awards, thanks or victories in professional competitions - about everything that is related to the vacant position and can clearly demonstrate the level of your competence.
"Their life after service is just beginning." What do you think these words are about? Of course, about former servicemen, because they retire not by age, but by length of service. By the age of 35-40, they are already in “free swimming” in civilian life. But few people at that age are ready to be content with payments from the state. As a rule, military pensioners strive to build a career and immediately face a bunch of problems. Let's deal with them.
To understand where to look for a job, you need to decide on the field of activity. To do this, you need to identify your strengths. Former military personnel have a well-developed ability to manage, they are characterized by diligence and punctuality. In addition, due to the specifics of the service, they are well versed in legal and technical terms, they are good business executives and strategists, and they treat their work conscientiously.
Which positions can be considered for a military pensioner:
Similar options are easy to find on online job search portals: hh.ru, trudvsem.ru, Avito, superjob.
ru. You can also visit the local branch of the CZN and inquire about the availability of suitable vacancies there.
Resume of a military pensioner is compiled according to standard rules. You need to fill in the main and additional blocks, tell about yourself. It would seem nothing complicated, but here retired applicants face two problems:
General guidelines for filling out resumes are given above. Therefore, let's solve the second problem using an example from the life of a real soldier.
Alexander is a retired pensioner. For the last 8 years, he served as a fuel supply chief. To fill out the questionnaire, we will try to “translate” military terminology into civilian language.
If you use the information from the "Incorrect" column, Alexander will look for civilian work indefinitely. If you fill out a resume in the way we recommend, your job search will be much more effective.
In the resume, a military pensioner should use wording that is close to working in a "civilian" position.
Do not know what to write in the questionnaire? Take advantage of our hint. Determine a civilian position that is close to your military one. Review the requirements for candidates and responsibilities for open positions. Compare with your experience, correct the wording in your resume, emphasizing what really coincides with civilian professions.
Every retired police officer can find a job that suits his education, skill level and financial expectations.
But first you need to prepare a cool resume for a job for a pensioner of the Ministry of Internal Affairs , emphasizing your personal value to the employer. Most sections of the questionnaire do not cause difficulties, but there are those on which applicants “stumble”.
After serving in the police, a person has a variety of professional experiences. But you don't have to include everything on your resume. Move on from the job.
If the ad says: “requires work on receivables, internal audits”, then it makes absolutely no sense to write that you have been involved in the prevention of juvenile delinquency for 10 years. Customize your resume for a specific job.
In the "Work experience" section, indicate the name of the organization, position, period of work in the format month/year - month/year, duties. Write down 2-3 personal professional achievements in the last 2 years.
Example:
Former police officers always approach this block with enthusiasm. They have something to brag about: experience in operational work, hand-to-hand combat, possession of firearms ... These skills are in demand mainly for security activities: private security companies, security services, private detectives. Other jobs will require different competencies.
If your competencies are not enough for employment, we recommend taking retraining or advanced training courses. It is better to do this 1-2 years before retirement. Think about what suits you best, and what is in demand in the civilian world.
To make a good impression on employers, try to give the right sound to your existing qualities.
Working with tight deadlines to solve a problem? Great, write time management into your asset.
Are you able to wait out a fit of bossy anger with a straight face? Handle criticism appropriately.
Did you work in a team? Great team player.
Had to act at your own peril and risk? You know how to find a way out of the most difficult situation, you can take reasonable risks, find innovative and creative solutions that lead to the desired result and the achievement of your goals.
Slow by nature? No, you are just meticulous and meticulous in your approach.
Select 3-4 qualities that are most appropriate for the selected vacancy. And the rest can be reflected in the “About Me” block in a free presentation.
Nothing should prevent you from fulfilling yourself after retirement. Choose the right job, identify your strengths. The main thing is to make a cool informative resume. It will become your business card and help to make the right impression on the employer. You can download the completed questionnaire in pdf format or share a link to the web page with the document.
Article author
Evgenia Shaforostova
HR specialist, career expert, freelance journalist.
4.27
(11 votes)
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About a month ago, my neighbor asked me to visit. Like, she has a conversation with me, very important. Okay, come on.
It turned out that Olga Nikolaevna wants to get a job. Everything would be fine, but the woman is 61 years old. She retired six years ago and immediately quit her job.
I had some savings, and my husband made good money too.
And the pensioner took care of the garden and her grandchildren.
But last year my husband fell ill, couldn't continue to work, and also retired — he's already 68. All his savings were spent on medical treatment. Health has stabilized, but disability remains. You won't be back to work.
“And we were left with an income of just over 20 thousand for two. Children sometimes throw up some money, but their conscience does not allow them to ask them all the time. All our lives we helped them, supported them financially, and now we have lived ... ”, Olga Nikolaevna complained.
“But it's okay, I can work! I am an accountant by profession, a very good one, by the way. I would just write a resume correctly so that they don’t immediately dismiss it by age. Can you help?"
Helped. Three days ago, a pensioner boasted that she got a job, thanked me. And I decided that this topic is worthy of my new blog article. What if someone doesn't have a neighbor like me)
0021
As you can see, there is, if only because the law does not provide for refusal of employment due to retirement age.
“You are not suitable for us, you are too old” - at the legal level, such a reason for refusal or dismissal is unacceptable.
But there are no benefits. Benefits for pensioners when hiring are the same as for any other employee.
And the procedure for admission is the same: an interview, review of documents, conclusion of a contract, briefing, passing a medical examination, getting to work. Everything is like everyone else.
A resume is a visiting card of a job seeker, so it is very important to write it correctly. Disclose all the data about yourself, submit information in expanded form, list all your merits as a contender for the place.
And the farther you are from the “ideal working age” of 35, the more thoughtful it should be. The general principle of compiling the applicant's questionnaire is typical:
If desired, the paragraph "Additional information" is added. You can talk about your strengths. Just watch, don't overdo it.
The ability to grow fist-sized strawberries is great, but you don't need to write about it - it will not help you in your work, unless you get a job in some kind of agro-farm.
Mark activity, resistance to stress, non-conflict, diligence, etc. Knowledge of foreign languages and ability to work with a computer will be a big plus.
Also, if you have references from your previous job, they should also be mentioned in your resume and attach a file with this recommendation.
If you had a good opinion about you at your last job, feel free to write the work number of your former employer - let the new one call and make sure that you are an employee - wow!
Experience and more experience. This is your main advantage.
Send resumes to those companies whose activities are close and familiar to you. The times of the 90s, when vacancies were accompanied “only up to 30”, have passed.
Today, when choosing a candidate, organizations focus on the skills and knowledge, the ability of the applicant to move the company forward.
Indicate your achievements in past jobs, do not be shy, the employer must understand that he is very lucky that such an experienced specialist is “knocking” on him.
Mention your qualification category, participation in various events, note performances, awards, certificates, etc.).
It's the 21st century. Remember this. I do not think that a resume sent by Russian Post will attract an employer.
Send electronically. To the employer's website directly or through job search services: "HH", "Superjob" and others. In the same place, by the way, you will find vacancies.
It's comfortable, modern and shows that even in your "sixties" you keep up with the times.
