This is despite the fact that discriminating against someone for their age is illegal. Here’s how to create the best CV and avoid being judged on your age when you’re over 50.

According to the Office for National Statistics, Britain’s unemployment rate climbed to 4.7 % in the three months to May 2025, leaving about 1.67 million people without work. 

Over the same period, the number of job vacancies fell by 56,000 (a 5.8 % drop), reducing the total to around 718,000 open roles.

It’s tough out there.

Remove non-essential information

Under the Equality Act of 2010 it’s illegal to discriminate against someone based on age, so you don’t have to state your age if you don’t want to. Employers should choose the individual best suited to a role, so allow your skills, experience and passion to take centre stage instead.

Your specific address (general location is fine), personal circumstances and photos can also be removed. These don’t explain why someone should hire you. Instead, fill valuable space with detail that will show off your skills. Speaking of which…

Restrict CVs to two pages – absolute maximum

Job searching is extremely competitive. At best, recruiters spend around seven seconds to scan a CV; increasingly it’s more likely they’ll use AI to do it for them. So applicants need to stand out as quickly and clearly as possible. Highlighting your skills, experiences, and interests in a concise manner is more likely to maintain interest.

Buzzwords and templates

Don’t waffle, or fill your CV with buzzwords and nonsense. Even if you work in marketing. Also, CVs should be tailored to each job, using only the relevant skills for the application. Research each vacancy beforehand to handpick the best skills to target and jumpstart you higher up in the list.

Emphasise experience over age

Experience is often preferred to education. Showing you have years of developed skills is better than a list of qualifications or degree in something less relevant. Strike a positive tone and list key abilities before academic qualifications on your resume for the recruiter to see this first.

Include a professional summary

An even better way to grab attention from the get-go is to start with a professional summary: a concise (no waffle!) overview of you and your talents. The benefit of this is the hirer has everything they need in a tightly worded package. They can explore further once you’ve grabbed their attention.

Enjoying this article? More of an entrepreneur? Maybe you’d like this piece about raising investment for your own business

Sell your technical skills

Employers need to know that you’re as technically proficient as someone 20 years younger. Prove that you’re up to date with the latest tools and platforms by including them in your CV. This includes skills you’ve learned in lockdown – research shows it can take as little as 10 days to learn a new technical skill. Both Google and LinkedIn offer free courses, but a search on the web will turn up plenty of learning opportunity.

Just remember to avoid unnecessary jargon or ‘inside lingo’ that some hirers may not understand, and break up technical content with softer skills to add a human feel.

Network, network, network!

Most job applications are now online which, depending on your expertise, may not be ideal. But that doesn’t mean it’s what you must rely on. Also referred to as the Hidden Job Market, some research suggests as many as 70 per cent of jobs aren’t even posted online or shared publicly. If you’re used to the word-of-mouth approach to secure a job then keep practicing this alongside online applications.

If content is King, then design is its Queen

How a CV appears is just as important as the information it provides, so a good visual balance will mean the reader focuses on what matters the most: your qualifications. Keep your CV polished by incorporating bullet points, short summaries, and a mix of formats for clarity. Make it visually pleasing but avoid overly elaborate designs.

And finally, should you use AI to write your CV?

There’s no reason why you can’t get Chat etc to help you get started, or make drafts or suggestions. But don’t just hand the whole job over. Edit your CV, make sure it has your tone of voice. Employers can spot AI, and many might not be keen if they think you can’t be bothered to even write your own resume. But yes, AI is a great tool in your CV building arsenal, used well.

Thanks to the experts at Resume.io for this advice on resume building

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There’s plenty of competition for all good positions. So it’s worth also thinking about how you’re going to set yourself apart from the crowd, and make yourself more attractive to would-be recruiters. How can you improve your chances of landing a great job?

How to improve your chances

There’s no single magic bullet change that will turn around your fortunes in the job market. However, there are plenty of small changes that might make a substantial difference. They’ll add up if you take enough of them seriously.

Getting an interview is more than half the battle, and having a decent CV will help you here. If you think that your age will go against you getting in front of the interviewers, remember you don’t have to include your age on your CV.

Get more training

Employers are looking for people with particular skills. By picking those skills up, you’ll be better suited to the job you’re looking for. This applies even if you’re well into your career, especially in evolving industries where new skills are always valuable.

There are a lot of free training options online these days. Google and LinkedIn, for example, offer a lot of digital marketing modules that are free to complete. Investigate further.

Don’t be afraid to ask

The skill they call ‘networking’ is, more often than not, the simple practice of asking people if they know of any opportunities that you might seek to get into. By keeping your ears open, you’ll be better able to take advantage than if you’d simply waited for a public notice of an opening.

It can feel awkward asking, but you know the old adage. If you don’t ask, you won’t get.

Grow your network in your industry

Of course, another vital component of networking is to have people there to talk to in the first place. Don’t rely on social media, here – just because you’ve connected with someone on LinkedIn doesn’t mean that your work is done. Traditional messaging strategies like business cards are still effective, so employ them ruthlessly!

Tailor your CV to each opportunity

If you’re sending off lots of applications every day, then taking the time to tailor each of them to a given opportunity might seem excessively laborious. This is where AI assistance might be handy. Try asking ChatGPT, for example, to help focus on specific angles for each job.

Don’t get a chatbot to completely write the CV for you (you’ll get found out eventually) – but do get it to point out the tweaks you might make. There are plenty of tricks you can employ to improve your CV.

Dress appropriately for interviews

The chances are good that your prospective new workplace has a dress code. Find out what it is before you turn up for the interview. And we’re not assuming that means dressing up. Some places these days are much more relaxed; it’s about fitting in.

If necessary, email or call them and ask about the office dress code. If you really are stuck, then there are a few general rules of thumb you might follow.

Don’t be scared to ask for what you want

If you’re not up front about your wage requests, then you’ll ultimately end up disappointed – since it’s difficult to ask for a raise for at least a year after you take up a position. This is why you should be clear on your salary expectations from the beginning. You won’t get something you don’t ask for!

Landing the job of your dreams is not an easy task, but you can always follow these tips to improve your chances.

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If you’d like to receive a regular mini-magazine direct to your inbox with a selection of editorial features to read at your leisure, please sign up for our newsletter. We also run the odd competition and offer and whatnot, and newsletter members get the heads-up first.

The post Improve your chances of landing a great job appeared first on Silver Magazine.