My brother is now Jack Benny’s age, and his cake even said, “Happy Birthday, Jack Benny!” But really, why did the famous comedian never admit to being older than 39? Maybe in his time 40 wasn’t the new 30.

What does getting older mean for those who are looking for work? The U.S. Department of Labor reports that the workforce is aging and expects 17% of the workforce to be 55 and older by 2010. Very little is being done to accommodate the shifts in the workforce, leaving “mature” workers struggling with the challenges of job searching in a market geared to younger people. If you’re in this boat now, check out AARP’s most recent list of the best companies recruiting mature workers.

Preparing a resume that emphasizes your value is a good first step to preparing for your search. Here are eight ways to age-proof your resume:

1. Don’t provide your complete work history: This is the number one mistake job seekers make. If it’s before 1990, employers probably don’t care. Hiring managers are most interested in what you did recently, so concentrate on your recent career. If you feel compelled to delve into earlier experiences, create a section called “Early Career” and provide just the highlights and no dates.

2. Watch your language: Avoid age-revealing statements such as “35 years of experience” or age-defining clichés such as “seasoned professional.”

3. Stick to a “combination” resume style, leading with a strong “Career Summary” section: You may have been advised to mask your years of experience with a functional resume format. But employers do not like to see functional resumes because they are often used by candidates who are trying to hide something. You don’t want employers reading your resume and searching for a possible problem. Unless your work history is extremely spotty or you are completely changing careers, stick to a chronological format.

4. Show that you’re current with technology and industry trends: Are you proficient with Wang or an expert at BASIC programming? While these programs were once cutting-edge, they have been replaced with new technology. Show that you’ve kept up with the times by removing antiquated equipment, programs, and tools, and highlight your knowledge of modern technology.

5. Consider dropping dates of education: This is a tough call, because hiring managers who want to know a person’s age will go right to the “Education” section and do the math. If your education occurred in the 1970s or earlier, it might be in your best interest to eliminate graduation dates.

6. Keep your school names updated: If you graduated from a school that has since changed its name, include the new name. If you are concerned about discrepancies in case an employer asks to see a transcript, write the former name of the school in parentheses.

7. Show that you’ve been continually learning or taking on new roles: The key is to demonstrate that your skills are fresh and in demand. It is important that you show that you are flexible and willing to adapt to organizational changes.

8. Quantify and expand on your achievements: As a professional with a long work history, this is your chance to accentuate the positive. You have what younger workers may lack — years of practical experience. Provide examples of how your performance contributed to your employers’ goals, mission, and bottom-line results.

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Gawker highlights bad blog lingo, and resume writing has its share of bad lingo that should be banished forever. Here are a few of the worst offenders:

“Responsible for…”

Almost every resume I see has “Responsible for” in the job description section, or its evil cousin, “Duties include.” Please, avoid using these words as they don’t do anything to help “sell” you on the resume. Anyway, your resume should be more focused on accomplishments and stand-out contributions, so you shouldn’t be spending much time writing about your responsibilities or your duties.

“Outstanding communication skills”

We must all have them, because this claim is stated on millions of resumes. Do yourself a favor and prove that you have outstanding communication skills by creating a well-written resume. You can also demonstrate that you have strong communication skills by including examples of projects that required these skills, such as creating reports and delivering speeches. Employers are getting tired of seeing “fluff” skills that don’t say much about how you actually used these skills.

“Strong organizational skills,” “detail-oriented,” and “multi-tasker”

These are just as bad as “outstanding communication skills” because they appear on so many resumes and don’t say anything about how the job seeker used these skills to benefit their employers. Instead of saying you have these skills, show that you have them by giving examples of related accomplishments.

“References available on request”

Really? I wouldn’t have known that you have references available so I’m so glad you used one of the most valuable sections of the resume – the finale – to tell me that. Folks, employers assume that you will have references when they’re ready to check them, so don’t waste the final line of your resume by including this statement.

“Seeking a challenging, growth-oriented position”

This is an example of what can be included in a bad objective, along with other fluff fillers like “looking for a position with opportunity for growth and advancement.” I hate to say this, but employers don’t care what you want. They care about what you can do for them. Remove fluffy statements from your objective, and replace with a qualifications summary that states your value proposition.

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Christmas in NYC was magical, and the highlight was visiting Rockefeller Center and seeing the tree. The low point was how long it took to shuffle in with the mob of people who also wanted to get a good view of the tree. The wait was worth it, though — the tree looked magnificent (as always) and got everyone in the holiday spirit.

I couldn’t help but think about the correlations with job searching. You search for a job along with the masses of people who are also looking. The process can be slow and your patience can start to wear thin. But if you hang in there — fight through the crowds if necessary — the dream job can be yours.

Don’t wait for the job to come to you. Network as much as possible and use all tools at your disposal to get your foot in the door. Cold call companies that interest you, use job sites like Monster.com to keep abreast of new jobs, view employers’ Web sites to see if they might be interested in someone with your background, and extensively follow up on all potential opportunities. Your persistence will pay off.

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by Kim Isaacs
Monster’s Resume Expert

The new year means a new list of resolutions. And let’s face it: Some are tough to keep. If you want proof, compare the number of cars packed into the parking lot of any fitness center in early January to the lonely few there in mid-March.

But a New Year’s resume refresher isn’t nearly as painful as four hours a week on the treadmill. And your efforts could pay off with big dividends. Arm yourself with an updated, high-octane resume, and 2007 could be the year that you land a better job.

Now is a great time to reflect on your recent accomplishments and add them to your resume. Let these ideas guide you.

Find Your Passion

Make sure your resume instantly communicates your career target with a descriptive headline (e.g., “CPA Backed by Corporate Audit Experience”) and adequately reflects your depth and breadth of experience in a brief, hard-hitting opening objective highlighting your top selling points.

If you’re thinking about changing careers or industries, be sure you’ve clearly defined your goal. Your job search will be more successful if your resume targets a specific field instead of being a one-size-fits-all document. Research positions to gain a solid understanding of what you want to do as well as the qualifications employers are seeking. Once you identify your career target, assess your background and identify transferable skills and experience that will enable success. Add an opening objective that spells out your goals and shows the relevance of past experience. For example: “Award-winning educator seeking to leverage five years of teaching experience to transition into corporate training.”

Add New Employment, Skills and Accomplishments

Refreshing your resume also means keeping it current. If you’ve changed jobs during the past year, earned a promotion or expanded responsibilities, your resume should reflect this. Even if you’ve remained in the same position, you’ve probably achieved noteworthy accomplishments in the last year.

Don’t forget about your new skills, including technical and computer ones. Add your new skills to the Skills section on Monster’s Resume Builder. Survey your Skills section to ensure your proficiency level and years of experience are accurate.

Keep Keywords Up-to-Date

Industry-specific jargon, buzzwords and technology keep changing, and your resume should be rich with these keywords. Study job postings on Monster that match your career target, and note which keywords appear repeatedly. Incorporate those keywords that match your background into your resume.

Include New Professional Activities

Add professional-development activities you completed last year, including certificates, degrees, courses and in-service training. Also include organizations joined and industry conferences attended. List training programs you’ve begun, even if you haven’t completed them. This shows your commitment to ongoing professional development.

Edit Ruthlessly

As you add new information to your resume, also consider the usefulness of older or less relevant experience. This will ensure your resume doesn’t become unwieldy. Unless you want to return to a former career, decrease the amount of detail you provide for older experience. For job seekers with 10 years of experience or more, this may mean setting up an Early Career section, where you briefly summarize employers, job titles and employment dates. On the Monster Resume Builder, you can present an early career history in the Additional Information section. Other expendable items include obsolete technology and your high school diploma once you’ve earned a college degree.

Proofread your resume carefully to ensure it’s error-free. Watch for information that needs to be updated from previous versions. For example, if your old resume included a summary that stated your years of experience, increase this number if necessary.

Start a Kudos File

Resolve to start a file for projects and successes you achieve during the year. Copy performance reviews and keep them in this file. Print out complimentary or congratulatory emails and file these away. List new committees you join. Jot down assignments you complete during the year. Include details of quantifiable results (e.g., percentages, dollar amounts, before/after comparisons) of your efforts while still fresh in your mind. Your kudos file will remind you where you excelled so you’ll be ready to punch up your resume.

Update Regularly

You should refresh your resume throughout the year, not just at the beginning. You never know when opportunity may come knocking.