If you still think of your resume as simply a historical document of your working life it may be time to revamp your thinking and your resume. Studies show that the average resume gets only about 15 to 30 seconds to drive its point home and to, hopefully, impress your future employer. Today, resumes are leaning toward a hipper, more progressive tone. They play down age, and play up achievements using monetary gains and savings to accentuate the positive.
Selling yourself to a business is what it is all about and in today's market, employers relate to value proposition. That's a term that job seekers would be wise to incorporate into their resume to help sell themselves. It relates directly to tangible results the employer can expect from you, whether from cost cutting measures, or sales promotions you've led, bosses today want to see more money on their bottom line.
The old fashioned standard one-line objective statement has also long gone by the wayside. It has been replaced with a detailed resume summary near the top of the page. This paragraph cuts to the chase and directly expressses your goals and values to the company and how you can achieve their goals.
Even though there are age discrimination laws on the books, the practice still does go on, though it's not always done on purpose, and may be done subconsciously. Your resume should highlight your experience and play down your age. In cases where the employer is significantly younger, you can't afford to draw attention to age when putting together your resume.
One way to overcome that is to strategically omit the date you graduated. Don't include every job for the last generation, just highlight the ones you've held over the last several years. Be aware of the tone and the words you use, as they will play a role in capturing an employer's attention. Likely the best way to communicate value is to keep your technical skills updated to current levels. If there are certain courses that employers are looking for, then you would be well served to get certified in them. Highlight your achievements and skip the mundane details, and you'll be more likely to get a call and an interview.