A number of older adults are heading back to work.

Since January 2008, the number of 65-plus workers has increased nationwide by 434,000, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

More and more we are seeing older adults who cant make ends meet so they are seeking out employment to help pay for the increasing costs of everyday living, said Ann King, Experience Works Business and Community Liaison for South Carolina. For the seniors in our training programs, who are often on fixed incomes, it can come down to a choice between food and medicine. They need to work.

She offers the following five resume-writing tips for older adults seeking to re-enter the work force:

Give it some punch: Start your resume with a tag line that emphasizes your desired outcome in your new position.

Stick to the core: List your accomplishments and experience from your work history in terms of core competencies related to the position you seek, not based upon chronological order. The biggest error made by many older workers is to list all of their duties and responsibilities over the years, even those that have no relevance to the position sought.

Keep it brief: Your resume should be no longer than two pages. Arrange your accomplishments in bulleted action items, not paragraphs. References do not belong in a resume; employers will ask for those in their application or at the time of the interview.

Leave it out: As an older worker, you should de-emphasize dates and years in your rsum by omitting dates of education, leaving out earliest jobs and inserting time frames only for relevant past work experience.

Accentuate the positives: Emphasize the positive attributes of your age and experience including your accumulated experience, strong work ethic, ability to make a contribution immediately, and your familiarity with relevant computer software and other technology.

Experience Works is a nonprofit organization that trains older workers and helps them find employment. King can be reached at 888-859-1051 or get information at www.experienceworks.org.

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