The document discusses new strategies for resume writing and job searching for older workers. It covers having both a "magnet" resume for online profiles and job boards, and a "grabber" resume tailored for specific jobs. The presentation provides tips for resume formatting, translating experience during a career change, using dates wisely to avoid ageism, and highlighting achievements. It also outlines changes in job searching, with employers increasingly using their own websites and social media over traditional job boards to find candidates.

1. Resumes for Older Workers:
New Rules, New Tools
AARP Education & Outreach
March 30, 2011

2. What We’ll Cover in
This Webinar
What’s new in resume-writing
 Resume formats
 Issues for older workers
Changes in job search techniques
 Searching online
 Using social media
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3. How to Ask Questions
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4. How to Download the
Slides and Handouts
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5. Your Presenters
Deborah Russell Susan Ireland Susan Joyce
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6. Refresh Your Resume
to Succeed in Today’s
Job Market
Susan Ireland
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©Susan Ireland

7. You Need Two
Resume Versions
The “Magnet” Resume
and
The “Grabber” Resume
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8. The “Magnet” Resume
Markets you for ALL jobs you would accept
Post online for recruiters to search and find you
Includes skills and keywords for ALL jobs you
want
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©Susan Ireland

9. The “Grabber” Resume
Markets you for a specific job or type of work
Sent or posted for specific job
Targeted for each job you apply for
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©Susan Ireland

10. When to Use:
Magnet Resume
 Use for online profiles (e.g., LinkedIn)
 Post to job boards (e.g., Monster, Careerbuilder)
 Hand out at career fairs
Grabber Resume
 Email or snail-mail to an employer
 Post on company website for specific job
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©Susan Ireland

11. Which Comes First:
Magnet or Grabber Resume?
Step 1: Write your magnet resume
Step 2: Create grabber resume by customizing your
magnet resume for specific job or type of work
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©Susan Ireland

12. Step 1: Write Magnet Resume
 Make a list of ALL things you’re willing to do:
• Skills and responsibilities
• Incorporate throughout magnet resume
 Concise headline
• Professional title
• Line of work
 Broad Summary
• Highlight breadth of experience
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©Susan Ireland

13. Magnet
Resume
Sample
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14. Step 2: Create Grabber Resume
 Target your job objective
• Keywords from job post
• Delete irrelevant items
 Job objective
• Job objective statement
• Professional title
 Tailor your Summary
• Only what’s relevant to job objective
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©Susan Ireland

15. Grabber
Resume
Sample
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16. Resume Format
 Use chronological format
 Add skill headings if needed
 Good for magnet and grabber resumes
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©Susan Ireland

17. Chronological Format
 Remain in
same field
 Vertical career
move
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©Susan Ireland

18. Chronological Format
with Skill Headings
 Career change
 Long time at
same job
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©Susan Ireland

19. Where to Download Free
Resume Templates
 Chronological template
 For staying in same field
 Chronological with Skill Headings template (aka
Combination)
 For making a career change
www.susanireland.com/aarp
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©Susan Ireland

20. Translate Experience
for Career Change
 Job objective statement
 Format: Chronological with skill headings
 Highlight transferable skills
 Incorporate new keywords
 Special skills section
 Relevant education/training
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©Susan Ireland

21. Use Dates Wisely
 Dates tell:
 Your possible age
 How much experience you have
 How relevant you are
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©Susan Ireland

22. For Many Jobs
Older Is Better
 Senior management
 Teaching
 Financial services
 Business consultants
 Social services
 Find 50+ friendly employers:
www.aarp.org/employerteam
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©Susan Ireland

23. Rules of Thumb
 Employers expect only 10 or 15 years of experience on
your resume
 Earliest date – no more than 25 years ago
 Dates under education are optional
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©Susan Ireland

24. Early Relevant Experience
Add “Additional Experience” section with no
dates
Example:
2008-pres. Graphic Artist, Riley's Printing, Oakland, CA
2005-2008 Sales Associate, High Records, Berkeley, CA
Additional experience: Package Designer, Grabbit, Inc.
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©Susan Ireland

25. Conceal Employment Gaps
 List only years, not months
2009-pres. Manager Joe’s Burgers, New York, NY
2006-09 Manager Taco Bell, Woodmount, NY
 List unpaid "job titles" that are relevant to job objective
(volunteering, personal projects, professional development)
2007-09 Classroom Assistant, Brio High School, Brio, NV
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©Susan Ireland

26. "Job Titles" That Show
Good Character
 Student
 Independent Study
 Full-time Parent
 Family Management
 Estate Management
 Caregiver
 Personal Travel
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©Susan Ireland

27. Write Achievements
 Quantify results
 Screened up to 700 job applicants per month,
allowing an average of 3% to move to the next hiring
level.
 PAR (Problem, Action, Results)
 Improved reliability rates 15% by introducing an
internal technical support system.
 Honors and awards
 Earned two Employee of the Month awards during
peak sales period.
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©Susan Ireland

28. Brainstorming
 What projects am I proud of?
 When did I affect the bottom line?
If someone replaced me, what
would go wrong?
What do people rely on me for?
What would my supervisor say
about me?
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©Susan Ireland

29. Over-qualified for the Job
 Downplay over-qualifications
 Degrees
 High-level responsibilities
 Lengthy career
 Use appropriate language
 No management-level achievements
 Less attention to bottom-line
 Teamwork, not leadership
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©Susan Ireland

30. Checklist
 Create a magnet resume that contains keywords for all
your job possibilities
 Pick the right resume format
 Translate experience for career change
 Use dates wisely
 Conceal employment gaps
 Write about achievements
 Don’t look over-qualified
 Create a grabber resume by editing your magnet resume
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©Susan Ireland

31. Where to Find Susan Ireland
 Susan Ireland’s Resume Site: www.susanireland.com
 Resume template downloads: www.susanireland.com/aarp
 LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/susanireland
 Facebook: www.bit.ly/fbresumes
 Twitter: www.twitter.com/susanireland
 YouTube: www.youtube.com/susanirelandresumes
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32. Job Search Techniques:
What Has Changed?
Susan Joyce

33. What Works Today
Successful job seekers:
 Focus
 Are PRO-active
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© Copyright Job-Hunt.org

34. Job Boards Are Tough
for Recruiters
Fewer employers use job boards
Why?
 Expensive
 Ineffective
 Inefficient
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© Copyright Job-Hunt.org

35. Job Boards Are Tough
for Job Seekers
Extremely competitive!
Ineffective and inefficient
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© Copyright Job-Hunt.org

36. Where the Jobs Are
Online NOW
Employer websites
Job aggregators
Social media
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© Copyright Job-Hunt.org

37. Where the Jobs Are:
Employer Websites
Job seekers can:
Target employers
Apply appropriately
Connect through social media
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© Copyright Job-Hunt.org

38. Where the Jobs Are:
Job Aggregators
Collect jobs from thousands of sources
Find employers new to you
Monitor “the job market”
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© Copyright Job-Hunt.org

39. Where the Jobs Are:
Social Media
 Post profiles
 Search for jobs
 Network
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© Copyright Job-Hunt.org

40. Recruiting in 2011
Moving to Social Media
Less expensive
More efficient
More accurate
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© Copyright Job-Hunt.org

41. Social Recruiting
 92% recruit via social networks
70% search thru profiles when recruiting
Source: 2010 Jobvite.com Social Recruiting Survey
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© Copyright Job-Hunt.org

42. Social Hiring
58% have hired via social networks
Source: 2010 Jobvite.com Social Recruiting Survey
Only 13% of hires via job boards
Source: 2010 CareerXRoads.com Sources of Hire survey
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© Copyright Job-Hunt.org

43. Job Search in 2011:
Social Media
Business resource
“Permanent personal
marketing”
Connect with employers
and jobs
Show you are up-to-date
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© Copyright Job-Hunt.org

44. Job Search in 2011
Starts with LinkedIn
Your LinkedIn profile is your
online resume
Profile should be 100%
complete
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© Copyright Job-Hunt.org

45. LinkedIn Profile Tips
 Create a strong headline
 Copy and paste from Word resume
 Bite-size pieces:
 Insert bullet points
 Add spaces
 Use all CAPS to emphasize words -- don’t overdo it
 Check the PDF version of your profile to be sure it’s
employer-ready
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©Susan Ireland

46. Sample Profile
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47. Sample Profile
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48. More Ways to Use
LinkedIn
Groups & Answers
Networking
Company Profiles
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© Copyright Job-Hunt.org

49. LinkedIn Group:
Job-Hunt Help
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50. You Are Being Researched
By Potential Employers – Often!
Employers: Job Seekers:
29% of consumers
think their online
79% of reputations is worth
employers worrying about
conduct online
research always
or most of the
time.
* Source: Microsoft funded privacy research reported in Dec, 2009.
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© Copyright Job-Hunt.org

51. Online Reputation Management
What Could Go Wrong?
 Damaging material about you
 Someone else with your name
 Nothing = invisibility = out-of-date
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© Copyright Job-Hunt.org

52. Recap
Less time on job boards
Explore social media
Join LinkedIn
Be active on LinkedIn
Invisible = out-of-date
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© Copyright Job-Hunt.org

53. Where to Find
Susan P. Joyce
 Job-Hunt.org www.job-hunt.org
 Job-Hunt Help LinkedIn Group linkd.in/JobHuntHelp
 LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/susanjoyce
 Facebook www.facebook.com/JobHuntOrg
 Twitter twitter.com/JobHuntOrg
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© Copyright Job-Hunt.org

54. Links from Susan Joyce
LinkedIn for Job Search
Online Reputation Management
Activate and Manage Your Job Search Avatars
LinkedIn Learning Center for Job Seekers
http://learn.linkedin.com/job-seekers/
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55. Other resources for
resumes and cover letters
AARP Job Tips
RileyGuide.com
QuintCareers.com
About.com Job Searching Blog
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56. AARP Resources for 50+ Workers
 www.aarp.org/work News and information on work and
careers at 50+
 www.aarp.org/jobtips Tip sheets and videos to help you
succeed in your job search
 www.aarp.org/jobs Search for jobs online
 www.aarp.org/thewatercooler Online community forum
 www.aarp.org/jobwebinars Learn about upcoming
webinars and view archived events
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57. Q&A with presenters
We may not be able to address all questions during the webinar,
but your questions help us develop content for future events.
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