Career Planning – How to Write a Resume When You Are In Your 50s

Are you in your 40 or even 50s perhaps? Are you currently looking for a job, but are having problems getting interviews? Well, it’s easy to think that your struggle is because of your age, but the truth is that your age has very little to do with the fact that you don’t look attractive to employers. The bigger problem could be in your resume.

Follow these resume writing tips that will help make you marketable to potential employers regardless of your age:

Your resume should be just two pages long, or even less.


As you are already in your 40s or 50s, it is likely that you’ve got a lot of experience already. While you might consider all your experience as highly valuable, it is important that your resume be not longer than two pages, except if you are applying for a job as an author or an executive.

According to career experts, an extremely long resume indicates that you don’t know how to tailor your resume in a way that will highlight what is important for the job. This could mean that either you don’t understand the job so well, or you just lack sound judgment. Hiring managers and employers may also get an idea that you are too old because of the vast work experience you’ve got in your resume.

What you should do is select the most impressive pieces of your experience in order to come up with an effective document marketing yourself.

There’s no need to include all the jobs you’ve had in your resume.


It is best to include only the past 10 to 15 years of your jobs in your resume. This will keep the details of your resume more relevant to the position you are applying for.

Don’t mention the graduation dates in your education.


All you need to put in your resume is your degree, plus the school you attended. Leave out the dates you attended and your graduation year. If you have additional certifications or trainings, be sure to mention them, but again, without the dates.

Quantify your achievements.


One very important resume tip you shouldn’t ignore is to quantify your achievements or accomplishments. What this means is that you need to describe your accomplishments using percentages and numbers. Take the time to think about all your achievements in each of the jobs you had in the past. How did you help improve company efficiency? How much growth in profit did you bring to the company? These figures are very attractive to employers and hiring managers, and so your resume should not lack this aspect.

No matter how old you are, you shouldn’t think that your age is what’s becoming a hindrance to your job search. Keep in mind that career planning and pursuing a career is not limited to the younger fellow only. With the right strategy and execution of your job search plan, it is never impossible that an employer will consider having you in their team or organization.