Job Hunting Over 50: Being Prepared. Step One, The Resume

by Martin C Kennedy, M.Ed., MBA

Teaching Human Resource Management classes at one of our distinguished State colleges has been one of my moonlighting jobs for almost twenty years.  Just after I got my MBA and with a young family, I was looking for ways to supplement our family income.  Little did I know at the time that I would be doing this work twenty years later in the capacity of Senior Visiting Faculty.

Even more surprising was that I would have to use a great many of the skills that I teach, especially how to land a job.  Much of my course deals with the employer side of the equation as we explore the strategic h.r. process from planning to retirement.  I also spend a good deal of time helping students plan their own careers.  When all of this remains in the theoretical, it moves along fairly predictable patterns.  That is, until the teacher finds himself at a career crossroads.  My 'day job' was the problem.

I share my experience in the hopes that someone else may find some guidance or inspiration.  Since this is not a mystery story, I will just share with the reader that I did make a career transition and I accepted a new position within the past twenty-four hours of this writing.

In this series of articles, I will share my own experiences from resume writing to making the final job choice.  It has been a rapid and emotional process but one that has come to a positive conclusion, proving to me that there IS life in the world of work after 50.

The Resume.

One of the beautiful things about computers is that keeping a resume up to date is fairly easy.  I remember taking a clean copy of a typed resume to a printer in our town to have copies produced from an offset press.  Making mistakes was costly and the lengthy process presented many disincentives to updating this crucial document.  I keep a copy of my resume and a list of potential references handily filed on my computer and, despite being in the same company for almost fifteen years, would take a look at it often to keep it active.  Academic folks do this all the time and keep up a 'curriculum vitae' which arduously tracks all of their publications, articles, speeches and more.  Most of us do not need to go to that extreme but how often does a promotion or transfer come up that you may forget or omit?

My resume has evolved over the years and once or twice, I have had to completely reformat it when software changes forced me to do so.  Moving from a Mac system to a PC can be a challenge, if not moving from Microsoft Works to Microsoft Word.  I now find myself with three versions of my resume; one in plain text, one in Word and one in Works.  The plain text version comes in handy when you need to upload a resume into an online job search program.  Our home computer came with Works but we use Word at the office.  Why MS made them so difficult to handle when transferring files is one of those mysteries that confounds me. 

If you should find yourself suddenly looking for a job, having an updated resume ready to go will save you weeks of work.  The shock of losing a job can put you into such a state of mind that you may not be able to get a resume written so having it already done is a very good idea.  Just remember that nobody is irreplaceable.

The big question.

There are plenty of places on the Web and in your local library or bookstore to learn about writing a resume so I do not need to go into any of those details.  However, for the 'seasoned' job seeker you will need to make some decisions about how much you will disclose that might tip off your age to a potential employer.  Some sources will tell you not to put any dates on your resume, others will tell you to only put down the last ten years of experience.  My only caution here is to do your research and know your audience.

Over the years, I have read more resumes than I can even estimate.  From my point of view when I see dates missing and an incomplete list of jobs, I immediately think that there is a problem.  I believe in putting things front and center, no sense starting a process with a potential employer with questions and potential problems. 

Here are some pointers for resumes of a seasoned worker:

1. Focus on your most current position and highlight your skills, use positive, action words.  Note how you have advanced.

2. List other positions in reverse order.  If the company is prestigious or you think it helps, list it first.  Lately, I like to see resumes with the job title emphasized.  Just be consistent.

3. I like to see a resume that shows continuity, progress and consistency.  If you have a solid work history then make no excuses for it and list your positions.  Yes, I go all the way back thirty years to my first job out of school.

4. For the older jobs, you do not need to go into copious detail about all of your duties; often simply listing the jobs will suffice.

5. Explain any holes in your cover letter.  Maybe I am old school but I do get curious about missing periods of time.  Get this question resolved early on and address it.  You should think beyond paid employment.  I know women who were not employed while attending to their family but who were extremely involved in community work.  That is very valid experience to bring to the plate.

Some of the current thinking about older workers (yes, my friends, older is over 40) is to focus on employers who value experience and maturity.  This can be particularly true with smaller companies with lots of younger workers; you can bring in some of the years of experience and help things run smoothly.  If you are applying for work typically done by younger workers then you will have more obstacles to overcome.  This reinforces my contention that including dates of schooling and work is not only valid but should work to your advantage.

Dynamic maturity.

I think what we want to demonstrate to potential employers is that we bring wisdom and energy.  The challenge you face is to demonstrate that you have kept up your skills and that you come in with a clear focus and enthusiasm.  Here are some ideas to keep current:

• Always volunteer to try out new systems at work and make a note of what you learned on your resume.
• Take classes anytime they are offered.
• Read the journals and business sites.
• Write a blog.
• Write on Gather.
• Teach a class. 
• Volunteer. 
• Sing.

In other words, keep yourself active and involved.  A potential employer will see that you have the openness, energy and willingness to try new things.  Oftentimes, the 'work' we do outside of the paid 'work' is more interesting, challenging and engaging.  So, make sure an employer knows that you are the one who organizes fifty choir members every week!

Suggested outline for your resume

Now that you are all excited, here is the outline I used for my resume:

• Name and address along with all of your contact information; home phone, cell phone, email, etc...
• Employment experience, recent first
• Community, volunteer and athletic experience and participation
•  
• Education, recent degrees first.  Several of the jobs I applied to asked for my GPA!  If yours was good, include it.
• Memberships, articles, etc.
• References: Typically, you do not list them here; just say, "References will be furnished."

General tips:

• Edit carefully, have others read your resume
• Put your name on every page.  This is a good time to learn all about headers and footers in your word processing program.
• Save the file and print out a few copies.

Next time: Keeping up with your former employers and other references.