Problem
Aged 45; facing redundancy; median qualifications; with the same company for 18 years in a variety of roles including production management, process engineering, logistics, some input to computer systems, lots of general/man management. All the jobs he looks at are demanding commercial experience related to business development and sales strategy but his CV looks nothing like that...

Solution
Stand back from the specific jobs titles and use typesetting style that minimises their impact and brings attention to professional roles and the DEVELOPMENT of his career. Make sure that every section of narrative links in to more than just his department. Illustrate the connections, synergies, relationships with commercial partners, impact of his work on product development and quality, measures taken to achieve cost reductions and efficiency improvements, how his style of management has helped reduce staff defections and improve productivity and initiative.

In other words, make the subtext of the entire CV a subtle piece of messaging that implies, suggests, validates and proves that his contribution to the commercial success of the business has been tremendous. Show that he understands that job roles are merging and the team is the future but never use crude and obvious phrases to do so. Leave in the mind of the person who reads the CV an impression of a very switched on guy who virtually invented end-to-end business process re-engineering! Use the letter to punch this message home in a lively way that does not repeat any information but achieves a very high level summary of its implications in terms of his likely future achievements.

It can be done; this is what I do for a living. I NEVER use words like RESPONSIBLE FOR, GOOD COMMUNICATION SKILLS and all the other half-baked shorthands that recruiters are tired of reading, yet these ideas are always present in the subtext.