How to write a CV when you're over 50
If you're over 50, your CV problem is rarely a shortage of material. It's the opposite: twenty-five or thirty years of roles, projects and qualifications, and two pages to fit them in. This guide shows you how to choose what earns its place, how to handle dates honestly, and how to make the first half of page one do the heavy lifting.
In this guide
What a UK CV doesn't need
Start by removing things that were standard when many people first wrote a CV but no longer belong on one. A UK CV does not need your date of birth, a photo, your marital status, your nationality (unless the advert asks about the right to work) or a full home address. Your town or county, a phone number, an email address and, if you have one, a LinkedIn profile are enough.
Age is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, so an employer shouldn't be making decisions based on it. Leaving your date of birth off isn't hiding anything; it simply keeps the reader focused on the things that are relevant to the job.
Other things to retire: "References available on request" (employers assume this), a list of hobbies that doesn't support the application, and an objective statement about what you want from your next role. Replace that last one with a profile about what you offer, which we cover below.
Lead with the last 10 to 15 years
Recruiters read the top half of page one first and most carefully. Give that space to your most recent and most relevant roles, written in detail: what you were responsible for, the scale (budget, team size, number of sites or customers) and what changed because you were there.
Roles from earlier in your career still count, but they rarely need full bullet points. Group them into a short section headed Earlier career with one line per role, or a single sentence summarising the lot. That keeps your timeline complete, shows your progression, and frees up space for the evidence that matches the job you're applying for now.
A useful test for every line: would this help the person reading it decide to interview me for this particular job? If not, shorten it or cut it. This is the same discipline you'd use when tailoring your CV to a job advert, and it matters even more when you have a lot to choose from.
Dates: keep them where they help
Some advice suggests removing every date to stop a reader working out your age. We'd be more careful than that. The National Careers Service recommends listing your work history with the most recent role first, and many employers use applicant tracking systems that read employment dates to understand your experience. A CV with no dates at all can look as if something is being held back, and that tends to raise more questions than it answers.
A sensible middle ground:
- Recent roles: show month and year, or just years, for each position.
- Earlier career: a summary line can cover a span ("Earlier roles in retail operations and stock control") without listing every date.
- Qualifications: the year you gained a degree or school qualification is usually optional. Name the qualification and the institution; include the year if it's recent or the advert asks.
Whatever you choose, be consistent and be ready to talk through your full history at interview.
Show the skills you use now
A hiring manager's unspoken question for any experienced candidate is often "are they current?" Answer it before it's asked. Name the systems, software and methods you use today, using their current names: the finance system, the CRM, the project tools, the collaboration software your team works in. "Proficient in Microsoft Office" tells a reader very little; "builds monthly reporting packs in Excel using pivot tables and Power Query" tells them a lot.
Recent learning helps too. A short course, a refreshed professional qualification, mentoring a junior colleague through a new process or leading the switch to a new system all show that you keep moving. Put the most relevant of these near the top, not buried at the bottom.
Write a profile for this job, not your whole career
Your profile is the three or four lines under your name. It's the most-read part of the CV, so make it specific. A good profile says who you are professionally, names the two or three strengths the advert cares about most, and gives one piece of evidence.
Avoid opening with the length of your career ("over 30 years' experience in…"). It isn't wrong, but it uses your best line on a number rather than on what you can do. Lead with the type of role and the result instead, and let the work history show the depth.
If you're applying for a role that's a step sideways or a step back in seniority by choice, say so plainly in your cover letter rather than leaving the reader to guess. Our cover letter guide shows how to do that in two sentences.
A fictional before-and-after
Fictional example
Before
"A highly experienced and loyal professional with over 30 years in the workplace, seeking a new challenge where I can use my many skills. Hard-working team player with excellent communication skills."
After (for an operations manager role at a regional food distributor)
"Operations manager who runs multi-site warehouse and distribution teams of up to 60 people. Cut late deliveries by a third in 18 months by redesigning shift patterns and introducing daily performance huddles. Comfortable with warehouse management systems, KPI dashboards and supplier negotiations."
Earlier career line
"Earlier career: progressed from stock controller to depot supervisor with two national retailers, gaining experience in stock accuracy, health and safety and team rotas."
The "after" version is shorter, but it says far more. It names the role, gives scale and a result, and lists tools a hiring manager would recognise. Nothing in it is invented: it's the same career, edited for one job.
Format and length
Two pages is the norm for an experienced UK CV. Use a clean, single-column layout, a standard font at 10.5 to 12 points, clear section headings and plenty of white space. Avoid tables, text boxes and graphics in the main body, because some application systems read them badly. Save as Word or PDF depending on what the employer asks for; if a recruitment agency asks for Word, send Word.
If you're also returning after time out of work, read our guide to writing a CV after a career break, and if you're moving into a different field, see how to write a career change CV.
A final checklist
- No date of birth, photo, marital status or full address.
- A profile written for this job, with one piece of evidence.
- The last 10 to 15 years in detail; earlier roles summarised.
- Dates shown consistently on recent roles.
- Current systems and recent learning named specifically.
- Achievements with scale or numbers, not just duties.
- Two pages, single column, easy to scan.