This week, our team tackles some of the common job-hunting questions we receive from older applicants who are searching for work in their late 50s and early 60s.
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Should you avoid entry level positions?
Be honest with me: do I really have a chance at landing a mid or senior level position with a CV that shows more than 30 years of work experience? I’m hoping for the best as I start my job search and begin what I think might be an uphill battle.
Experience is a plus
Of course you have a chance of landing a job. It takes two parties to recognise a match: the employer and the applicant. If the job looks like a match from your end, the battle is half won. Every applicant in the world starts the process with some self-described deficit too much experience, too little experience, too many of the wrong credentials, not enough of the right ones, etc. Just do the best you can with what you have. Smart employers will recognise your experience as an asset.
Modern technology?
I’m told I won’t be hired because I’m not tech savvy, but I don’t know what that means. Is there any way I can work around this by using the right jargon or taking a course or something?
Avoid slang, be honest
Don’t pretend to be something you’re not, especially when your deception involves trying to seem young by using teenage slang. We all know how that story ends. You can take a course if you choose, but when it comes to your CV, focus on your track record, your leadership skills, your management expertise, and the experience and credentials that got you where you are today. Let the rest go.
Old school?
Do any employers accept old fashioned paper CV anymore?
New school might be best
Most employers will accept them, but they won’t really appreciate them. Digital files can be easily passed around, uploaded to a database, printed out multiple times, and stored and filed in any fashion an employer chooses. Paper files aren’t as versatile, and if you send a CV in the mail when the post specifically requests a digital submission, your submission can easily slip through the cracks and get lost in the shuffle. Just submit your resume according to the employer’s instructions, and if in doubt, send an email with your CV attached as a Microsoft Word file. Now that you know how to submit a professional and intriguing CV, use our simple CV maker to get started.
