Older Jobseekers - Update Your CV
As an older jobseeker, you may feel left out by the current job market. Whether you’ve been made redundant, been out of work for some time or just fancy a career change, you should make sure that your CV is hitting the mark in a new climate. If young recruiters don’t seem to respond to your CV, you may be the victim of age discrimination. Your CV could be responsible, making you look past it or over-the-hill.
There are many ways you should look at updating your CV, to sell your skills and experience to potential employers. Steer clear of including out-of-date technology skills, Don’t use outdated industry terminology, and make sure your CV isn’t following conventions which are archaic.
Industry Technology
When applying for jobs, look at the job description (and others in the industry) and see what technological skills employers are looking for. Find out which skills are missing from your CV, and look into learning more to fill that technology gap. You could try adult-education classes, or even e-learning.
More importantly, make sure you are using the correct terminology for your technological skills as this can be the most obvious sign of someone who is “out of the loop”.
Terminology
If you have just been adding to your CV over the years, then earlier entries are likely to be using outdated terms. One way to bring this terminology up to date is to read industry-specific publications and replace the outdated words with the current terminology.
Job descriptions in your desired field can help you update the language on your CV. Learn to use these new words as you might have to talk about them in interview at some point.
Format & Style
You should make sure that your CV reflects today’s trends in CV format and style. Some of the older “golden rules” of CV writing don’t apply any more. And they date you instantly.
CV’s no longer need to be limited to one page, as it limits your ability to show off all your skills and expertise. Two pages is generally quite standard, but if you feel you are perfectly suited to the job and have three pages’ worth of relevant skills and experience then you might as well share these with your potential employer.
Look at your references. It is not even strictly necessary to put “References available on request” at the end of your CV, since the availability of good references is assumed. There is no need to list every job you have ever held and devote an equal amount of space to all of them. Your employment history should go back as far as is relevant and only include jobs which actually relate to the post you are applying for. Think about your CV as a press release, and it is completely up to you what to include and omit.
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