Resume template · Updated October 2026
Resume template for a career change at 50
Short answer
Meridian works well for a career change in your fifties: it prints skills above experience, so the abilities the new field needs, and the current tools you use, are read before decades of job titles. The fictional sample is a 53-year-old newspaper managing editor moving into nonprofit grant writing, with about 15 years in detail, two freelance grant applications and a short certificate.
Download the career change at 50 sample
Carol is a fictional grant writer. Replace every detail with your own before you send it.
The files are made in your browser by Resumity's own exporters, from this sample. The builder opens it as your own resume: click any line to replace it. Free plan, no watermark.
Why Meridian suits a career change at 50 resume
Meridian puts the skills section under the summary and above work experience, which lets grant research and proposal writing lead the page instead of a newsroom title. It uses no colour and plain grey rules, so a copy printed for a hiring panel or a board member stays clean.
Second choice: Henrietta. Henrietta prints education straight after experience, a better order if the new field expects a degree or credential you have just finished.
What goes in each section, in Meridian's order
Meridian prints its sections in a fixed order, the same in the PDF and the Word file. Here is that order for this sample, and what to put in each section.
- Professional Summary. One sentence on what carries over (writing to deadline, checking facts, editing other people's work), then the new-field evidence with 2026 dates. Skip a total such as "27 years"; the jobs below show the depth without putting a number on it.
- Skills. Lead with the new field's core tasks, then the software you use today. Current tools such as shared drives, grant portals and video calls answer an unspoken question about keeping up, so leave obsolete programs off entirely.
- Work Experience. Full entries cover roughly the last 15 years. A freelance or volunteer entry in the new field sits on top because it is the most recent, and it is often the most persuasive line on the page.
- Education. Degree and school are enough. The year is optional for a degree earned decades ago; you can give it whenever an application form or background check asks.
- Certifications. A recent course in the new field, with its issuer and year, shows the change is already under way. Meridian prints this near the end, so the summary mentions it as well.
- Earlier career. Earlier career goes in a short closing list with titles and employers but no years. It shows where you started without adding a second page of history.
The sample resume as text
The same content as the files above, so you can copy a line or compare it with your own.
Carol Benning
Grant Writer, Nonprofit Development
Columbus, OH | carol.benning@example.com | (614) 555-0172 | linkedin.com/in/sample-carol-benning
Writer and editor moving from newspapers into nonprofit grant writing. Spent 14 years running a regional newsroom: assigning and editing stories, checking facts and meeting a daily deadline. Since leaving in 2026 has written two foundation grant applications for a local food bank, one already funded, and completed a grant writing certificate.
Experience
Freelance Grant Writer, Self-employed, Columbus, OH (04/2026 to Present)
- Wrote a $25,000 operating grant application for Eastside Community Food Bank, funded by a regional community foundation in 08/2026.
- Drafted a second proposal for the food bank's school pantry program, now under review.
- Researched 40 local and national funders in Candid Foundation Directory and built a deadline calendar for the director.
Managing Editor, The Fairfield Ledger, Lancaster, OH (03/2012 to 03/2026)
- Led a newsroom of 11 reporters and editors producing daily print and online editions.
- Edited and fact-checked about 30 stories a week, including a foundation-funded local health reporting series.
- Wrote the paper's annual reports to that foundation, covering how the grant was spent and what the series achieved.
- Moved story planning from email to a shared online calendar used by every desk.
City Editor, Miami Valley Courier, Dayton, OH (06/2009 to 02/2012)
- Assigned and edited local government and education coverage for six reporters.
- Ran the desk's election night coverage for three election cycles.
Earlier career
- Reporter, Miami Valley Courier, Dayton, OH: local government and schools.
- Copy editor and reporter, Athens Morning Star, Athens, OH.
Education
Bachelor of Arts, Journalism, Hocking Hills University
Certifications
- Certificate in Grant Writing, Central Ohio Nonprofit Resource Center (2026)
Skills
Grant research, Proposal writing, Budget narratives, Grant reporting, Editing and fact-checking, Candid Foundation Directory, Submittable, Google Workspace, Microsoft Word and Excel, Interviewing program staff, Writing to deadline, Coaching writers
How to make the sample yours
Cut to 15 years, then summarise the rest
Give full entries only to jobs from about 2011 onward. Older roles become one line each in an "Earlier career" list, without dates if you prefer, unless one of them is in the field you are moving into.
Start the new career before you apply
Two freelance proposals, a volunteer project or a short contract in the new field give you a current entry at the top of the work history. The sample's funded food bank grant does more for the change than anything the summary could claim.
Borrow the new field's vocabulary
Read ten postings and use their words for what you already do: editors "manage multiple contributors", grant writers "coordinate proposals with program staff". Change the term only where it describes your real work.
Show you work with today's tools
List software you use now and drop anything a posting would not recognise. If the new field relies on a system you have never opened, a free trial or a short course lets you list it truthfully.
Address the level in the cover letter
A move at 50 often means a less senior title. Say in the letter that you want the work, not the rank, so the reader does not assume you will leave as soon as a bigger job appears.
Keywords to keep where they are true
Terms this kind of resume is usually searched for. Use the posting's exact wording, and only for work you have done.
- grant writing
- grant research
- proposal development
- budget narrative
- funder relations
- Candid Foundation Directory
- program outcomes
- grant reporting
- editing
- fact-checking
- deadline management
- nonprofit
- interviewing program staff
Mistakes to avoid
- A third page of job history going back to the 1990s. It says more about your age than about your fit, and adds nothing for the new field.
- Headlines such as "Seasoned professional with 30 years of experience". Let the recent work show the depth.
- Software and skills that date the page, such as discontinued desktop publishing programs or an old version number of Office.
- Explaining a layoff or buyout on the resume. An end month is enough; the reason is for the interview, if anyone asks.
- Hiding freelance work in the new field near the bottom. It is your most recent job and belongs at the top of the work history.
How the sample PDF reads in text extractors
We exported this sample with Resumity's PDF exporter in Chrome on 2026-10-29 and read the file back with three open-source text extractors. This shows whether software that turns a PDF into text can recover it; it is not a test of any commercial applicant tracking system. How we test templates.
| Extractor | Name, email, phone | Headings | Bullets intact |
|---|---|---|---|
| pdf.js 4.10.38 | All found | 6 of 6 | 9 of 9 |
| pdftotext (Xpdf) 4.00 | All found | 6 of 6 | 9 of 9 |
| pypdf 6.13.0 | All found | 6 of 6 | 9 of 9 |
Frequently asked questions
How far back should a resume go when changing careers at 50?
About 15 years in full. Earlier roles can be summarised in a short list or left off, unless one of them is in the field you are moving into.
Should I take graduation dates off my resume at 50?
You can. Leaving the year off an older degree is a common choice, and the degree and school are what a reader needs. Give the year if an application form or background check asks for it.
Is age discrimination in hiring allowed?
Not in the US: the EEOC explains that the Age Discrimination in Employment Act forbids age discrimination against people aged 40 or older, in hiring as in the rest of employment. Keeping the resume on recent, relevant work is the part you control.
Can a career change resume at 50 run to two pages?
Yes, if the second page holds relevant work. For most changes, one full page of recent experience plus a short earlier-career list says enough.
How do I avoid looking overqualified for a junior role in a new field?
Cut senior duties that have nothing to do with the new job, keep your real titles, and say plainly in the cover letter why you want this level of work.
Will applicant tracking systems read this Meridian PDF?
The sample PDF read back with its contact details, all 6 section headings and all 9 bullets intact in three open-source text extractors (pdf.js, pdftotext and pypdf). Commercial systems such as Workday, Greenhouse or Taleo were not tested, and each employer configures its own.
Guides and templates for this resume
Sources, checked 29 October 2026
We opened every page below on that date. Pay, rules and requirements change, so check the source before you rely on a detail.
- U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: Age Discrimination (The Age Discrimination in Employment Act forbids age discrimination against people aged 40 or older, in any aspect of employment including hiring.)