14 Items Seniors Should Never Put on Their Resumes

While age discrimination is against the law, it still rears its ugly head in the job market. Even if not overtly, some employers are likely to reject candidates they consider "out of touch" or "too old" for a job. Unfortunately, even just a couple of outdated details on a resume can create this impression, regardless of how qualified or experienced you are.

If you're a senior looking to make extra money on the side during retirement, here are the most common resume pitfalls you should avoid.

When you include a date in your resume, it can reveal your age, and that's not what it should be about. The purpose of a resume is to list your qualifications and experience rather than help the employer narrow down how old you are.

Don't include any high school or college graduation dates in your resume. Instead of using the date, write down the degree, major, and university or college you attended.

Listing outdated software skills in your resume tells an ageist employer you were of working age decades ago when these skills were in high demand. It's the easiest way to present yourself as a member of what they may see as an "unemployable" generation.

Along with leaving these outdated software references out, don't mention any roles that you held where they were front and center. They're likely irrelevant to the position you're applying for anyway.

While some email providers like Yahoo are still around, others have long disappeared from public consciousness. All the cool kids used to have AOL.com and Hotmail email addresses 30 years ago, but nowadays, they tend to raise eyebrows.

Unless you have a custom domain, use a Gmail address for your job applications. It will say nothing about your age, as it should.

Smart Drivers, Smarter Savings

Compare car insurance rates in Virginia

See if you qualify for a lower rate in less than 2 minutes

Check Rates

By clicking the button above, I understand and agree that this site uses site visit recording technology (provided by Trusted Form, Jornaya, and Microsoft Clarity) Privacy Policy

Maybe a particular job you held 20 years ago is directly relevant to the position you're applying for. Still, it doesn't belong on your resume because it is a dead giveaway of your age.

Ideally, you should only include positions you've held in the last 10 to 15 years and not use a resume that is over two pages long.

Much like mentioning defunct software skills, things like typing or faxing may signal to employers you were around in the old days before computers, email, and instant messages became ubiquitous.

While a skill like typing speed is still valuable for certain jobs that rely on high-volume data, like a transcriptionist, data entry clerk, or customer support chat agent, "typing" alone is not something you should mention.

Years ago, this phrase was a way to reassure potential employers that former peers or supervisors were available to verify the claims on your resume, but this is no longer the case.

Most companies you apply to nowadays assume or expect that you'll be providing references upon request. Leave this sentence out and be wary of taking up space unnecessarily, especially if your resume is already over two pages long.

If a potential employer can't control their bias against older workers, even innocent hobbies can lead to rejection. Some hobbies stereotypically associated with retiree age include antiquing, bridge and chess clubs, ancestry research, and birdwatching.

You don't need to include hobbies on a resume unless they are directly related to the job you're applying for. If anything, hobbies usually serve as icebreakers during interviews, but even then, you're better off not mentioning these particular interests.

Even if you're applying for an entry-level job, including a similar job you held during your early career days on your resume will not increase the chances of being considered. Instead, it will reveal your age and make a biased employer less likely to hire you under the guise of not having hands-on experience due to being out of the field for too long.

Only mention relevant recent jobs to stay on the safe side.

Your date of birth, marital status, Social Security number, or size of your family do not belong on your resume. They are protected by law, and no legitimate potential employer will ask for this information.

Focus on qualifications and experience, and avoid using protected details that may disclose your age.

Your full address at the top of the resume is outdated and increasingly unnecessary during this time of remote and virtual jobs.

If you must write down an address, use your city and state of residence. Anything more than that can raise red flags for biased employers.

Once upon a time, this section demonstrated to employers that you were qualified and motivated to apply for their specific job. However, including an objective may only serve to age you, especially if your resume is chock-full of managerial or executive positions.

Instead of writing objectives, include a professional summary that showcases your main qualifications and tailor it to each job you're applying for.

As with graduation dates, avoid putting down memberships or certifications, especially if they're no longer relevant to the job you're applying for or you let them expire.

You may think you're strengthening your application by including them, but you're just making it easier for the employer to guess your age.

Using decorative fonts and borders was once the standard for a resume to stand out, as was using Times New Roman and double spacing decades ago.

Today, these elements are no longer sufficient. To catch an employer's eye, use clean fonts like Arial, and focus on the content rather than the look of your resume.

Finally, one thing that immediately broadcasts your age is using a job title that has fallen by the wayside. Even if your job title 20 years ago was "secretary," you should write it down as "administrative assistant" to avoid standing out for the "wrong" reasons.

Ideally, you should leave it out altogether and highlight your admin experience from recent jobs you held, regardless of the title.

Do you want to work from home during your retirement years? It's a great way to add to your income, but only if you avoid putting items on your resume that may indicate your age to biased employers.

Once you pass the resume hurdle, it becomes easier to prove your strengths and skills to potential employers. To score a remote-friendly job, focus on your last 10 years of experience and highlight skills like Google Drive, Zoom, or Slack.