How to Write a Resume When You Have a Couple of Different Job Targets

Resume writing tips for baby boomers: You have different job targets?

It is a good idea for you as a baby boomer seeking employment to learn how to write an appropriate resume, when you have a couple of different job targets.

The baby boomer resume writing business is currently booming. Why is that? Many baby boomers, like you, are starting to look for new and different jobs. Guess what! The number is going to increase rapidly, in the near future.

Perhaps you don't know how to write a resume? When was the last time that you had to write one? There are many baby boomers who are trying to write resumes, with several, different job targets in mind, for a variety of reasons.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Are you tired of your previous job?

Do you want to do something different?

Maybe you have no real idea what you want to do or can do, other than the one job that you have done, forever and a day.

Writing a resume when you have only one job target is easy. All you need to do is to include what pertains to that specific job. When you have couple of different job targets, it becomes more complex. How do you know what to include in your resume and what to omit?

Baby boomers are in a unique situation.

You may have been on one job ever since you started to work, as a teenager. Perhaps you have never had to look for another job. Of course, this is not always the case. Some jobs are no longer appropriate due to computerization or the need for more advanced skills and training. Maybe your previous job is obsolete. 

Perhaps you have physical limitations.

So what will you need to do, as a baby boomer seeking employment?

First, ask yourself what are possible job targets. Maybe you are being forced out of the only job that you have ever known. Perhaps that job no longer exists, for whatever reason. What are you going to do?

Consider other employment options.

Here are important aspects of resume writing to consider when you have a couple of different job targets:

Setting objectives with respect to employment options:

Ask yourself what is the primary objective of your job search? Are you seeking long term employment? Probably not, at this time. Of course, that depends on how you interpret the expression long term. More than likely you are looking for a semi-retirement job of some kind or something that will carry you until you are able to take full retirement. Maybe you want to continue to work after you are officially declared a senior citizen. For many baby boomers, that is not too far away.

Take a moment and write down the primary objective of your job search and then, condense it. Is it something for you to do to fill in time? Does it have to do with advancing your current skills? Are you more interested in learning to do something that you always wanted to do? Is it a way of making extra cash, for the moment? What your objectives are will have a lot to do with how you write your baby boomer resume.

Ask yourself whether you are seeking full time or part time employment. Make a list of jobs that you feel would be appropriate. There may be only a few. Do research and look at what you think you may want to do, are physically able to do or are willing to do.

Be aware that your social security numbers and date of birth are not obligatory on a resume. There is no way to hide your age, as when you do all of the paperwork for a new job, your information will go on your employment record. You are not trying to hide it, but you do want to get hired. Age may or may not be the most important issue.

What are your job expectations?

Making a summary of your previous experience:

Take time to summarize your previous experience carefully, because there is no way that a potential employer will read fifteen pages of past history. What he or she wants to know is whether you are qualified to take on a specific new job, at this time your life. Do you have the ability? Are you willing to train if you do not have the job skills? How interested are you in this kind of employment? Why do you want to do this kind of work?

In your summary, focus on the reasons why your potential employer should hire you. You will have had years of experience in areas that many younger employers will never have. You have a wealth of experience, skills, abilities and talents to draw from. Many of these are appropriate for any job. What do you have to offer your new employer?

Bringing your current academic history to light:

Your academic history will time date you to some extent, but if you have done recent upgrading, particularly in terms of computer training, a whole new realm of employment is open to you. If you have obtained computer skills, you have access to immediate training or research information about any topic that you might encounter on any one of your possible target jobs.

Is it all right to target specific kinds of employment? Of course, it is!

You can include a section in your resume that suggests that suitable employment might in the area of sales, data entry, customer relations or telephone work. Perhaps you have more advanced skills like academic research or artistic ability. The broader your academic base is, the more likely you are to find employment.

Making previous work experience current with respect to a number of different job targets:

Look at your work history in the light of your immediate future. For example, you started working bagging apples at age sixteen, for a farmer. At this time in your life, that is not relevant or important, if you are trying to obtain employment in an office job, write your resume accordingly.

Include the last ten to twelve years of work history, in reverse chronological order. What have you been doing during the past year or for the last five years? How is that going to relate to what you want to do now or in the immediate future?

Find distinct aspects of your previous employment that offer a number of potential employers several different options. You have a whole gamut of work history to draw from.

Expanding your horizon to include other interests and accomplishments:

Your other interests will tell a potential employer what he or she needs to know about you personally. Include courses, certificates, awards and achievements, but stay current with everything you include on your resume.

What did you do ten years ago, that you enjoy doing now? Are you a good public relations figure? Have you had a supervisory role, in the past? Do you prefer to work with young people or the elderly? Have you learned that you relate well to children?

When you have all of your information organized, write a cover letter. Remember that a good cover letter is important, as it identifies you and gives your prospective employer your contact information. You should include an e-mail address and a web site address, if possible. Make certain that your resume is printed on good quality paper without errors.

Don't hesitate to e-mail your resume to an employer. Expect to be hired and you will find yourself with a number of possible job options. Then, it is up to you to decide which one you want to accept.

Good luck, baby boomer!

Your decision to target a couple of different jobs has paid off already. 

Now you know how to help other baby boomers who are also in the same situation, write their resumes. 

Add that to your resume too.