Here are a few guidelines that will guide you through the design of a world class resume for a second (or third, or fourth) career.

1. Make your summary outstanding! The summary, which comes right after your contact information at the beginning of the resume, is definitely the most read part of any resume. Make sure that it reflects the unique blend of skills and experiences that both make you the best choice for their needs and reflect the things you would like to do in your next position.

2. Go back no more than 15 years in job history. Any experience earlier than that will date you and was probably done at a much less responsible level than more recent experience. If you feel it is necessary, you can summarize the earlier portion of your career with a sentence or two at the end of the Employment History section. If one of your earlier positions was especially prestigious or pertinent, it should be worked into the summary so that it shows up on the first page of the resume.

3. Dump the success stories that date you. If you were a dos whiz in the early days of personal computers, either don't mention it or use terminology that doesn't pin that accomplishment to the early 1980s. Or, if you handled the logistics for part of the United States bicentennial celebration in 1976, you might want to summarize the size and complexity of what you did without the specifics of what the event was. But if you performed the same functions for the 50th anniversary of D-Day in 1944, you might want to play it bigger and more specifically.

4. Use your success stories to transition your skills to a new career. Look at the ways in which you accomplishments apply to your new career and couch your successes in appropriate language. My own first career was in public relations but I really wanted to get into training. So I focused in the times I trained people in public relations.

5. Don't put dates on you education, the degree and the institution that awarded it, the year it happened isn't. And if the college or university has changed names since you graduated, use the new name since the old one will date you. The same thing is true of majors, if it is in an outmoded or renamed area, use the more modern name or leave it out. For instance, what used to be called home economics in now more commonly referred to as either family and consumer sciences or human ecology.

6. Include active hobbies. Personal information such as hobbies is usually not included in a resume unless it is pertinent to the position you are applying for (for instance, local political activities if you are applying for a politically-related position). However, in the case of second careers, it could be helpful to include hobbies if one of your favorite pastimes is rock climbing, running or some other super-active hobby that shows that you are energetic and fit.

7. Make sure it is obvious that you understand technology and post you resume on the appropriate sites on the Internet. One of the fears that many employers have about hiring the more mature worker is that they are deficient in technical skills. Be sure to include technology-related success stories if you have any. List the software you are proficient in, those like Microsoft Office that are used everywhere as well as those specific to your industry or profession. And make sure that you have an online presence. At a minimum, post your resume on your LinkedIn.com page, not only do you look more with it but it is a fertile hunting ground for recruiters of all kinds.