On the other hand, don't be gun-shy about your age. Some companies will not judge you by age, but by what you can do for the company.
How to Handle Time Gaps
Time gaps in a resume can present problems for 50-plus professionals because they require explanations. Be prepared to answer such questions so you can concentrate on selling your experience. You want to spend your time talking to the interviewer about the expertise you can bring to the company.
The best way to deal with the time-gap question is with candor. You may even be able to turn the time-gap into an advantage. For example, you may have been fired because of an acquisition or merger, or because your company was cutting back and your department was eliminated. You could say then that you took some time off to decide what you wanted to do with your career. Job loss no longer carries the stigma of being fired.
Or you might say: "I took early retirement because my company encouraged it, but I found it was a mistake. I was doing the best, most productive work of my life and decided to get back in the job market."
Another good explanation for the time gap is that you were not happy with your job and considering a career change. You returned to school to take some courses to see that you were on the right track.
These are honest, rational, and reasonable explanations for a time gap, especially for an older professional. So don't be uncomfortable when you are asked for an explanation-be prepared. If you have the talents an employer seeks, the chances are good that you will be considered for the job.
Common Mistakes-and How to Avoid Them
Resumes should be concise and to the point. Too many are overlong and wordy. They don't zero in on the job seeker's abilities or accomplishments.
Poor punctuation, faulty grammar, and misspellings are guaranteed to destroy your chances of getting an interview, let alone a job. Superior writing skills are valued by virtually every employer in today's competitive job market. Put them to work on your resume.
A resume that is poorly typed and printed also will ruin your chances for an interview. If you don't have a word processor or computer and printer, have your resume produced at a printing shop. Look on the low cost as an investment in your future. Never send a resume done on a dot-matrix printer unless it is excellent letter quality.
A resume that is poorly laid out is another common mistake that can eliminate you from a job interview. The resume should be esthetically pleasing to the reader. That means it should be written on white, off-white, ivory, or buff-colored, 8.2 X 11 quality bond paper. Legal-size and off-size paper is not easily filed, so don't use it. Although some job hunters like to use offbeat colors, 50-plus professionals should stay on the conservative side. Avoid colors unless you are in a creative field, such as art directing or graphics designing, for example, where the resume can reflect your style. Aside from being neatly typed and laid out, there should be enough white space on each side and at the top to give each page of the resume a pleasing appearance. Don't cram every page with as much type as you can get on it. Common sense and good taste are the guidelines here.
The resume needn't list all your accomplishments. It should highlight what you have done so that an employer can recognize the value of your experience and appreciate your potential to contribute to the company. What you want to do is to skim the cream from the top of your experience and put it on paper.
Compiling resume information that isn't relevant to the job you are applying for is a waste of your time - and reading it is a waste of the would-be employer's time. It is important to key your resume to the specific job you are applying for.
Custom-tailor it.
Don't make the mistake of filling your resume with a lot of technical jargon. However, you can use buzz words that apply to your particular field. Your resume should read easily, and be instantly understandable. Too much technical jargon, especially if the interviewer is not an expert in the subject, can make you a non-competitor.
