Resume template · Updated October 2026
Resume template for job seekers over 50
Short answer
Leslie works well for an experienced job seeker over 50: the summary and the last 15 years of work fill the top of the page, current tools follow, and older roles shrink to an Earlier career list without dates. The fictional sample is a senior project manager leading cloud ERP rollouts, with recent agile training and no graduation year. Returning retirees can use the same structure.
Download the over 50 sample
Richard is a fictional senior project manager. 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 Leslie suits an over 50 resume
Leslie prints work experience straight after the summary, so recent results come before anything else, and the centred blue header gives a long career one clean touch of colour. Skills print after the jobs, where current tools such as Smartsheet and cloud ERP back up what the bullets claim.
Second choice: Meridian. Meridian prints skills above experience; choose it if recent training and new tools are your main argument, for instance when coming back after retirement.
What goes in each section, in Leslie's order
Leslie 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. Describe your experience as "15 years" of the work you want next rather than the full length of your career. Name current tools and one dated recent result, so the first thing a reader learns is what you are doing now.
- Work Experience. Give full entries only to the last 10 to 15 years. Write about recent delivery, coaching and adapting (a new method, a cloud system) rather than about how long you have been doing the work.
- Skills. Keep this to tools and methods in use today. Platforms retired years ago, and basics such as email or word processing, suggest the opposite of what you want to show.
- Education. Once you are well into a career, the graduation year is optional; leaving it off is common and keeps attention on recent work. Keep the degree and the school.
- Certifications. A recently earned credential (the sample's agile certification is from 2025) shows you keep learning. For an older one you keep current, such as PMP, you can leave the date off.
- Earlier career. An "Earlier career" list names older jobs in one line each, with no dates and no bullets. It accounts for those years without adding a page or a start date from decades ago.
The sample resume as text
The same content as the files above, so you can copy a line or compare it with your own.
Richard Ames
Senior Project Manager, ERP and Finance Systems
Hartford, CT | richard.ames@example.com | (860) 555-0128 | linkedin.com/in/sample-richard-ames
Project manager with 15 years of ERP and finance system rollouts for insurers and manufacturers, most recently a cloud migration delivered on schedule for 1,200 users in 2025. Plans in Smartsheet and Jira, runs agile and phased work side by side, and keeps finance teams working through go-live. PMP and PMI-ACP certified.
Experience
Senior Project Manager, Northbridge Mutual Insurance, Hartford, CT (05/2019 to Present)
- Led the move of general ledger, payables and procurement to a cloud ERP for 1,200 users, live on the planned date in 03/2025.
- Ran a team of 14 across finance, IT and an outside implementation partner, delivering a $3.2M budget 4% under plan.
- Introduced two-week sprints for reporting work while keeping a phased plan for the core rollout.
- Coached three junior project managers, two of whom now lead projects of their own.
Project Manager, Finance Systems, Calloway Precision Components, New Britain, CT (02/2011 to 04/2019)
- Delivered six ERP upgrades and integrations, including bringing a newly acquired plant onto the system in four months.
- Set up the company's first project intake process, which cut duplicate IT requests.
- Trained about 200 plant and office staff on new purchasing screens before go-live.
Earlier career
- Financial Systems Analyst, Calloway Precision Components, New Britain, CT
- Plant Accountant, Riverbend Tool and Die, Bristol, CT
Education
Bachelor of Science, Accounting, Farmington Valley University
Certifications
- PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP), Project Management Institute (2025)
- Project Management Professional (PMP), Project Management Institute
Skills
Project planning and budgeting, ERP implementation, Agile and phased delivery, Vendor management, Change management, Smartsheet, Jira, Microsoft Project, Power BI, Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP, Steady through go-live, Coaching
How to make the sample yours
Set a 15-year window
Count back from today and give full entries only to jobs inside that window. Older roles move to the Earlier career list, or off the page if they have nothing to do with the job you want.
Prove you work with current tools
Name the software you use now and a recent change you led. If your last training was years ago, a short course before you apply gives you something recent and dated to list.
Write for the level you want next
If you want fewer reports or less travel, aim the headline and summary at that job. A senior title stays in your history, but the bullets should point at the work you want to do next.
Coming back from retirement?
Add a dated line at the top of experience ("Retired, 2023 to 2026") with any consulting, board or volunteer work from that time, and say in the summary whether you want part-time, contract or full-time work.
Check your email address and profile
An address from an old internet provider can date the page before anyone reads a bullet. Use a plain firstname.lastname address on a current service, and a LinkedIn profile that matches the resume.
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.
- project management
- ERP implementation
- cloud migration
- agile
- Smartsheet
- Jira
- budget management
- stakeholder management
- change management
- vendor management
- PMP
- mentoring
Mistakes to avoid
- Opening with "30 years of experience". It invites a reader to work out your age and says nothing about what you can do now.
- Listing every job back to your first. Roles from decades ago rarely match current postings and push the page past two.
- Calling yourself "energetic" or "tech-savvy" to get ahead of assumptions about age. Recent tools and results show it better.
- Adding a date of birth or other personal details that a resume never needs.
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 | 7 of 7 |
| pdftotext (Xpdf) 4.00 | All found | 6 of 6 | 7 of 7 |
| pypdf 6.13.0 | All found | 6 of 6 | 7 of 7 |
Frequently asked questions
Should I take my graduation year off my resume after 50?
You can. Leaving the year off is common for experienced candidates and keeps attention on recent work. Keep the degree and school, and give the year if an application form asks for it.
How many years of experience should I show?
Ten to 15 years in detail is a common window. Older jobs can go into a short Earlier career list with no dates, or come off if they are unrelated to the role.
Is it legal for employers to reject me because of my age?
In the US, no. The EEOC explains that the Age Discrimination in Employment Act forbids age discrimination against people who are 40 or older, including in hiring. The advice on this page is about focus, not about hiding your age.
Can my resume run to two pages?
Yes, if the second page holds relevant recent work. A long career often fills two pages; a third almost always means older jobs that belong in the Earlier career list.
How do I go back to work after retiring?
List the retirement as a dated entry with any consulting, board or volunteer work, refresh the skills list with current tools, and say in the summary whether you want part-time, contract or full-time work.
Will applicant tracking systems read this Leslie PDF?
The sample PDF read back with its contact details, all 6 section headings and all 7 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 who are age 40 or older, in any aspect of employment including hiring.)