How to Age-Proof Your Résumé

These 11 tips showcase your skills instead of your age

an illustration of a woman putting a skills section on a resume

Rob Dobi

Gwen Moran,

Updated January 30, 2026

AARP

Published January 23, 2019

/ Updated January 30, 2026

The current job market is a challenge for many but may hold particular hurdles for workers age 50 and older.

Last year, AARP research found that nearly two-thirds of workers (64 percent) reported seeing or experiencing age discrimination in the workplace. And nearly 1 in 4 (22 percent) felt like they were being pushed out of their job because of their age. Another 2025 AARP survey found that among the 65 percent of people age 50-plus who thought it would be “somewhat” or “very” difficult to find a new job, the No. 1 reason reported was “discrimination based on age.”

If you’re worried that your age might put you out of the running before you have a chance to prove yourself in an interview, fear not. There are several ways to update and “age-proof” your résumé to showcase your skills and ensure employers see your value instead of your age.

Focus on the past 10 years

While you may have decades of experience you could put on a résumé, that’s not usually necessary, says job search coach Ashley Watkins Thomas, founder of Write Step Résumés, who recommends showing your last 10 years of experience. “There’s rarely a position that’s going to post and ask for more than 10 years of experience,” she says. In addition, earlier experience may not be as relevant to today’s technology and workplace norms.

Oregon-based job search and interview coach Thea Kelley, author of Get That Job! The Quick and Complete Guide to a Winning Interview, suggests being even more specific: “It depends on the situation. Ask yourself, ‘How many years of experience are required by the job postings I’m seeing?’ It’s great to show a few years more experience than they’re asking for, but not a whole lot more.

Add an “early career highlights” section

Even if you curate your experience to focus on achievements from the past 10 years, you don’t have to forego telling a prospective employer about a great role or impressive employer you had earlier in your career, says Pittsburgh-based ageism expert and résumé writer Colleen Paulson. Instead, include an “early career highlights” section in your résumé and summarize relevant achievements there.

Refresh your résumé header

As you’re culling your experience, look at your résumé header, Paulson says. Today, résumés don’t typically list street addresses. Instead, they include the candidate’s name, city, state, email address, mobile phone number and a link to their LinkedIn profile.

Paulson suggests ditching older-looking email addresses, too. Replace that @aol.com or @yahoo.com with a Gmail or other more modern email address.

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Update your résumé’s formatting

Paulson says that some résumé elements that were common years ago look out of step today. For example, “objective statements” that were once commonplace have been replaced with career summary sections that may have a few career highlight bullets. Also, no one includes “References available upon request” at the bottom of their résumé anymore. That’s assumed.

Remove dated technologies

Be sure to scan your descriptions, skill listings and other areas for elements that are no longer relevant. For example, Paulson recently worked with a client who still had Lotus Notes, an enterprise email system popular decades ago, listed under technology experience.“Those of us who were working in the ’80s and ’90s remember Lotus Notes well, but it’s a tell that you were working back in the day,” she says.

Use the right keywords

According to HR.com’s “Future of Recruitment Technologies 2025-2026” report, 78 percent of companies have adopted applicant tracking systems to filter and manage candidate résumés. These technologies scan résumés for keywords related to a particular job, so it’s important to make yours as ATS-friendly as possible, using keywords that match the job description, says executive career strategist and over-50 job search expert Saundra Botts.

“If you want somebody to realize that your years of experience are useful to them, [your résumé] should really explain the problem that you solve,” she adds.

If you need help identifying which keywords to use, you might try running both your résumé and the job posting through an AI tool such as ChatGPT, Copilot or Gemini. Ask that tool to optimize the résumé to better match the job opening’s requirements. But be sure to review the AI suggestions for accuracy before submitting your résumé to employers.

Update your LinkedIn profile

Increasingly, LinkedIn is an extension of your résumé, Botts says. Be sure your LinkedIn presence is up-to-date and reflects your experience and the skills you bring to an employer, including the connections you’ve made along the way.

“When you click through to somebody’s profile, and they’ve been working for 20 some years, and they only have 147 connections, that just tells me that they’re disconnected from the world,” Botts says. Update your job history, list your skills and work on getting at least a few hundred connections to show that you’re actively engaged with others in your field.

Don’t worry about gaps on your résumé

Functional résumés that are organized by skills rather than job history were once thought to be a good way to hide layoffs and gaps. Today, however, recruiters prefer to see chronological résumés and are often more understanding when someone’s work history has a few hiccups. “It’s very common right now for many people to have been laid off,” says job search expert and coach Lora B. Poepping, president of Seattle-based Plum Coaching & Consulting. “You are in good company. People don’t see it and judge it in the same way they used to five or 10 years ago.”

Instead of trying to hide the gaps — which typically doesn’t work, anyway — be prepared with a clear, succinct explanation and be sure your résumé is tailored to highlight the skills the employer is seeking for a particular role, Poepping recommends.

Watch your adjectives

Using terms like “seasoned” or “veteran” can make you seem older and doesn’t help you show how you can solve the employer’s problem, Botts says. Such adjectives likely aren’t keywords an ATS will search for and the person who’s reviewing your résumé will be looking for specific skills that will help you do the job. “If you’re leading your résumé with ‘seasoned’ or ‘proven track record,’ I can tell you right away, you’re falling into an ageism trap,” she says. Instead, stay focused on how you are the solution to a problem the employer has.

Remove unnecessary dates

While you can curate your recent experience to the past decade or so, remove unnecessary dates, such as graduation or when you earned a certificate or certification, Kelley says. And if you got an advanced degree much more recently than your undergraduate degree, consider leaving dates off both so you don’t highlight the disparity, she adds.

Debunk stereotypes

Use your résumé to debunk common stereotypes about older workers, Paulson suggests. For example, show off your new artificial intelligence class or certification to combat the trope that older workers aren’t good with technology or any recent job-related upskilling you’ve done to show that you’re continuing to learn and add new skills.

Botts adds that another assumption is that older workers may be set in their ways and be resistant to change or trying new approaches. If a résumé seems to be saying “because I’ve been doing it longer, I’m better than you at it,” you’re going to turn off recruiters and hiring managers. Stay skills-focused instead of emphasizing the length of time you’ve been in the field.

Evaluating someone based on age is wrong and shouldn’t factor into hiring decisions. However, research shows that older workers may face bias. Eliminating opportunities for unfair rejection may help you get a foot in the door so you can show hiring managers and recruiters in person how you’d be a valuable team member.