CV After 50: How to Present Long Experience Without Inviting Age Bias

Age discrimination is illegal in most countries, but unconscious bias still exists — and a CV can trigger it without saying your age at all. Graduation years from the 1980s, a list of every role since your first job, outdated tools: each one quietly suggests a number. The goal is not to hide experience. It is to present it as value.

What to leave out

• Date of birth and age — not required in the UK, US, Canada or Australia.
• Graduation years for degrees older than about 15 years (unless the country expects them).
• Outdated technology: software and systems nobody uses any more.
• A photo where it is not customary.

How far back to go

Describe the last 10–15 years in detail. Compress everything older into a short section — Earlier career: progressive roles in sales and operations at X and Y — or one line per role. Recruiters care about what you can do now.

Show you are current

• Recent certifications and training (within the last three years).
• Modern tools in your field — and how you used them.
• Recent projects with results.
• A LinkedIn profile with recent activity.

Turn experience into a selling point

1. Lead with a profile that names your expertise and the results it brings.
2. Highlight mentoring, crisis management, client relationships and judgement — things that take years.
3. Show adaptability: changes you led, technology you introduced, new markets you entered.

Twenty-five years of experience is not the message. What those years let you do for the next employer is.