Applying to jobs when you are in your fifties, sixties, or beyond brings with it some distinctive challenges. Sure, you’ve plenty of experience. But hiring managers do not necessarily see all those years on the job as an asset. They might believe seasoned, mature candidates will expect more money or responsibility, struggle to work with a younger manager, or lack up-to-date skills. And while the Age Discrimination Act in Employment Act means that discriminating against older employee and job candidates is illegal, I hear from several unemployed older job seekers who feel that their age is an issue.

They say things like:

• I’ve learned that age does matter in employment.
• My age seems to be my biggest enemy.
• I think my age is my downfall right now.

It is true — despite legal protections, being considered the older job seekers can hinder your possibilities of finding employment. Although, there are ways you can age-proof your resume and address age problems when writing cover letters. Review these cover letter writing tips for older job seekers to help market your candidacy effectively to employers.

Significant Cover Letter Tips for Older Job Seekers

Target your cover letter. The most significant way you can convince a hiring manager that you’re worth interviewing is to customize your cover letter. Take the job posting and list the criteria the employer is seeking. Then list the skills and experience you’ve, either in paragraph form or in a bulleted list. This way, the hiring manager can see why you’re qualified for the job.

Do not summarize your entire resume. This suggestion applies to candidates of all ages. A good cover letter doesn’t read like an autobiography or a distillation of your resume. For older job seekers, it is important to veer away from a sequential recounting of your employment, and instead focus on experience relevant to the job at hand.

Do not include years of experience. Don’t list the length of experience you’ve in your cover letter. For instance, it’s not advantageous to say you have 20 or 30 years of experience. It will flag you as an older candidate.

Don’t promote your age. Ignore terms like seasoned professional, wealth of experience, worked for many years, or anything similar. There’s no need to highlight, in general, your years of experience. Instead, stick to the facts (e.g., “I led a team of 10 marketing professionals over at XYZ company.”).

Do emphasize your related experience and strengths. Your cover letter is a chance to mention your proven experience, which a less experienced applicant may not have. Again, specify how that experienced is related to the job you are applying for – the more particular you’re, the more relevant a candidate you will be.

Do mention connections. As always in a cover letter, it is powerful to highlight a connection. Here’s more information on how to mention a referral in a cover letter and here are examples of cover letters with referrals to review.

Concentrate on flexibility. Mention your flexibility, adaptability, and willingness to learn in your cover letter. It’ll peg you as young and eager, even if you are not so young in years.

Similarly, mention any knowledge of current technology that you’ve since this is often a big concern for hiring managers.

Be careful about salary requirements. If the job posting requests your salary requirements, note that you are flexible. That way employers will not think of you as being overqualified and/or overpriced.

Polish up your cover letter. Presentation matters. Make certain your cover letter is precisely formatted. That means choosing for the right font (and font size). Use a plain font, never a scripted one. Include a space between every paragraph, and choose an appropriate salutation and closing sign-off, too.

It is essential that your cover letter does not look old fashioned. Watch for dated language, too. Your word choices can potentially make you seem older or younger than your actual age.

Favor short, snappy sentences over longer, more complex syntax. Consider having a younger professional – preferably in your industry – read through your cover letter to make definite your phrasing doesn’t date you.

Be ready to email your cover letter. Be certain that you are following email etiquette guidelines when you email your cover letters.