{"id":4816,"date":"2015-08-15T07:57:11","date_gmt":"2015-08-15T11:57:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=4816"},"modified":"2015-08-15T08:00:17","modified_gmt":"2015-08-15T12:00:17","slug":"usa-today-my-resume-and-interview-tips-for-older-job-hunters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=4816","title":{"rendered":"USA Today: My R\u00e9sum\u00e9 and Interview Tips For Older Job Hunters"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?attachment_id=1434\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-1434\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1434\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?attachment_id=1434\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/USATODAY2.gif?fit=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"300,300\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"USATODAY\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/USATODAY2.gif?fit=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/USATODAY2.gif?fit=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-1434\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/USATODAY2.gif?resize=150%2C150&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"USATODAY\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/USATODAY2.gif?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/USATODAY2.gif?w=300&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>Getting back into the job market after years, or even decades, is daunting. If the last time you updated your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 was on a typewriter, there are a few things you really need to know to be ready to sell yourself in today&#8217;s market.<\/p>\n<p>Kerry Hannon \u2014\u00a0jobs expert at AARP and the author of\u00a0<em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1118203682?ie=UTF8&amp;creativeASIN=1118203682&amp;linkCode=xm2&amp;tag=kerrhann-20\">Great Jobs for Everyone 50+: Finding Work That Keeps You Happy and Healthy &#8230; And Pays the Bill<\/a>s\u00a0\u2014 <\/em>shares her top do&#8217;s and dont&#8217;s.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/money\/personalfinance\/2015\/08\/08\/rsum-and-interview-tips-older-job-hunters\/30734903\/\">Read article on USA Today<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>R\u00e9sum\u00e9\u00a0<\/strong><strong>and Interview Do&#8217;s:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Polish your LinkedIn profile<\/strong>. Depending on your profession, having a paper r\u00e9sum\u00e9<em>and<\/em> a LinkedIn profile may be non-negotiable these days. It shows that you aren\u2019t a Luddite and are comfortable with technology. Include a photo that makes you appear energetic \u2014 potential employers are concerned that you won&#8217;t have enough stamina to do the job.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-OWKlVFvEoA4\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"single-photo float\"><strong>Make your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 relevant<\/strong>. People are going to read your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 in 20 seconds, so make sure that it is no more than two pages and tells a story. Don&#8217;t simply say you were a project manager. Tell potential employers that you delivered a project two months ahead of schedule.\u00a0Match the experience and skills you name in your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 with the precise skills employers say they\u2019re seeking in their job posting.<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Bring your \u201cA\u201d game to the interview.<\/strong>\u00a0Position yourself as an expert and act as if you\u2019re a highly paid consultant there to solve their problem, but stay away from sounding professorial and a know-it-all. Be forthright and clear about why you\u2019re motivated by what the organization does, plus why you think you would be a good fit with their culture.\u00a0When you interview with someone younger than you, be careful not to come off as condescending.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?attachment_id=2514\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-2514\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"2514\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?attachment_id=2514\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/book.stand_.great_.jobs_.jpg?fit=367%2C422&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"367,422\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"_book.stand.great.jobs\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/book.stand_.great_.jobs_.jpg?fit=260%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/book.stand_.great_.jobs_.jpg?fit=367%2C422&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-2514\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/book.stand_.great_.jobs_.jpg?resize=150%2C150&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"_book.stand.great.jobs\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/book.stand_.great_.jobs_.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/book.stand_.great_.jobs_.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>Pay attention to your appearance.<\/strong>\u00a0Update your wardrobe and specs, if need be. Get physically fit. It will help you exude a vibrant, can-do spirit and enthusiasm of a younger worker.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Prepare to answer the \u201coverqualified\u201d question. <\/strong>A younger, less experienced worker may not balk at a salary that could be a\u00a0 serious cut from what you earned in your last position. If you\u2019re OK making less, say so. For example, if you no longer want to be in a prominent management position, let the interviewer know that you want to get back to basics and focus on work that you enjoy and honing your own skills. Employers worry that you\u2019ll grow bored or ultimately be resentful if you accept a job that pays less and doesn\u2019t have the status of a previous job. Explain why and how the firm would profit by hiring you.<\/p>\n<p>And think beyond salary to other benefits that you value and may be able to negotiate for: tuition reimbursement, flexible work arrangements, parking allowance, transportation passes, or extra vacation days.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Practice mock interviews.<\/strong>\u00a0Practice interviews with a friend (someone younger even). Videotape it, so you can see how to fine-tune your performance. Always remember to be yourself, sincere, straightforward. Keep it conversational. Focus on the company\u2019s needs, not yours.<\/p>\n<p><strong>R\u00e9sum\u00e9 and Interview Don\u2019ts:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Don\u2019t load your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 with too much info.<\/strong> What employers want to see is your most recent 10 to 15 years of experience. Think advertisement, not obituary. No one wants, or needs, to read every one of your employment entries over a four- to five-decade career.<\/p>\n<p>Package your earlier experiences into one paragraph at the end of your r\u00e9sum\u00e9\u2019s &#8220;experience&#8221;\u00a0section and omit dates. And only use the work history that\u2019s relevant to the job you are applying for now.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Don&#8217;t ignore the gaps. <\/strong>Fill in holes in your employment history. It\u2019s best to have a good experience to sub for it, say, during a period between jobs \u2014 you traveled, volunteered added a degree or pursued other education. If you were out of the workforce for care-giving duties, you can market that, too. You were skill-building. No doubt you were a \u201cproject manager,\u201d supervising a team of other care-givers \u2014 from nurses to doctors and physical therapists. You were a \u201cresearcher\u201d tracking down the best doctors and medical care. You may have been a \u201cfinancial manager\u201d in charge of bill-paying and insurance claims.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Don\u2019t make rapid, off-the-top-of-your-head answers. <\/strong>This isn\u2019t <em>Jeopardy<\/em>. There\u2019s no race to push the buzzer. Keep focused on your interviewers and the reality that you\u2019re sitting in that chair to sell solutions to their problems or challenges, not what you want to say next about yourself. At the core of a job interview, it\u2019s about them, not about you. Listen closely to what they\u2019re saying. Don\u2019t go on for 10 minutes answering one question. Crisp and to-the-point answers allow interviewers to get to all their questions and gather as much knowledge about you as they can.<\/p>\n<p><em>Kerry Hannon&#8217;s newest book, &#8220;Getting the Job You Want After 50 For Dummies,&#8221; will be out Sept. 28.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Interview by Lisa Kiplinger, USA TODAY<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - http:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"http:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-small.png?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top:5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"StumbleUpon\",\"Digg\",\"Reddit\",\"Bebo\",\"Delicious\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"small\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"USA Today: My R\u00e9sum\u00e9 and Interview Tips For Older Job Hunters\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Getting back into the job market after years, or even decades, is daunting. If the last time you updated your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 was on a typewriter, there are a few things you really need to know to be ready to sell yourself in today&#8217;s market. Kerry Hannon \u2014\u00a0jobs expert at AARP and the author of\u00a0Great Jobs [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - http:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"http:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-small.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top:5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"StumbleUpon\",\"Digg\",\"Reddit\",\"Bebo\",\"Delicious\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"small\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"USA Today: My R\u00e9sum\u00e9 and Interview Tips For Older Job Hunters\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1434,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7,59,127,72,23],"tags":[350,242,52,61],"class_list":["post-4816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-boomers","category-careers","category-great-jobs-50-in-the-news","category-kerry-in-the-news","category-usatoday","tag-careers","tag-great-jobs-50-in-the-news-2","tag-job-hunting","tag-older-workers"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/USATODAY2.gif?fit=300%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3YFQS-1fG","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4816"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4816\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4823,"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4816\/revisions\/4823"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}