Resume for older workers: what to keep, what to cut, and examples
Most advice for older workers is about hiding things. The bigger problem is usually the opposite. You did plenty that never made it onto the page, and what is on the page is written in the words of ten or twenty years ago.
The short version
- Detail the last 10 to 15 years. Give older jobs one line each.
- Two pages is fine with 30 years of experience. Three is too many.
- List jobs newest first. Skip the "functional" format.
- Open with three plain lines about what you do, not an objective.
- Put a number in most lines: people, dollars, customers, locations.
- Show every promotion, even inside one company.
- Use the words employers use for your work today.
The best resume format for older workers
Newest job first, with dates. Recruiters call this reverse-chronological. It is what they expect to see.
Some guides still tell older workers to use a functional resume, the kind that groups skills and buries the dates. We disagree. No timeline reads as hiding something, and the reader goes looking for it. Trimming how far back you go gets you the same benefit without the suspicion. See how far back a resume should go.
A resume summary for older workers
Three lines at the top. Say what you are and where you did it, then end on one result. Leave out "seasoned," "over 30 years," and "seeking a challenging position."
Before (example):
Seasoned professional with over 30 years of experience seeking a challenging position where I can use my skills.
After (example):
Office manager for a 40-person medical practice. Ran scheduling, billing follow-up and vendor contracts. Cut supply spending 18% in two years.
The second one could only be about one person. That is the test.
The work you did but never wrote down
Ask someone what they did for 15 years and you often hear, "I just did my job." Then you ask how many invoices, how many stores, who called when something broke, and the real resume shows up.
Before (example):
Responsible for accounts payable.
After (example):
Processed about 300 invoices a month across 12 locations and closed the books by the 5th.
A good way to find these: read five current postings for your own job title. Every duty they list that you also did, and never wrote down, is a missing line.
How to show promotions at the same company
Many people fold 12 years at one employer into a single job. That hides the best thing on the page.
List the company once. Under it, list each title with its own dates, newest first. Give each title one or two lines, and make one of them the reason you got the next job.
Example:
Regional Bank, Denver (2009–2023)
Branch Manager (2018–2023): Ran a 14-person branch. Grew deposits 22% in three years.
Assistant Manager (2013–2018): Trained every new teller in the district. Promoted after covering the manager role for six months.
Teller (2009–2013)
Today's words for the same work
The work may not have changed. The words did.
| If your resume says | Employers now say |
|---|---|
| Personnel | Human resources, people operations |
| Secretary | Administrative assistant, executive assistant |
| Proficient in MS Office | Name the tools: Excel, Teams, QuickBooks |
| Handled customer complaints | Resolved escalations |
Use the current word only if you did the work. Never add one you can't back up on the phone.
What to leave off
- An objective statement
- "References available upon request"
- Your street address (city and state is enough)
- Graduation years
- Skills nobody asks for now, like typing speed or fax
- Any job older than 15 years, unless it proves something the newer ones don't
More on dates in should you hide your age on a resume.
Coming back after retirement or a gap
Say it once, plainly, and move on. "Retired 2022. Returning to full-time work." A gap you name is smaller than a gap someone has to guess at.
Or skip the writing
You talk for about 20 minutes on your phone, Keen asks the questions, and the resume writes itself on screen from what you say. You see it before you pay.