(MONEY Magazine) – Looking for work when you're over 50 can make you feel like you're Heidi Fleiss trying to sign on as a Girl Scout leader. Just look at the obstacles you face: There's resistance to paying higher salaries and costly benefits and, of course, baseless biases that older workers are inflexible and less creative than younger ones. Last year, nearly 700,000 people age 50 or older were unemployed and looking for work. It can be particularly tough for fired executives to find comparable work. "There's a growing problem for middle- level managers and upper-middle-level managers who find themselves the victims of corporate downsizing," Labor Secretary Robert Reich told MONEY. "A small percentage are able to go on to other companies in industries that utilize the skill and experience they already have, but that's the exception rather than the rule." With a little luck and a lot of savvy, though, you can improve your chances of finding a job you're happy with. Here are eight specific suggestions tailored to those 50 and older. Start by getting help through a group such as Forty Plus, a nonprofit outplacement organization for professionals age 40 or older with 20 chapters in 13 states and Washington, D.C. Services and costs vary by chapter, but in general, each offers use of computers, phones and fax machines. (Call 202-387-1582 for the one nearest you.) You can also turn to the American Association of Retired Persons (202-434-2100), which conducts a $20 eight- session job-hunting program called AARP Works. Be prepared to upgrade your skills. For example, if you're stuck in the typewriter-and-dictaphone era, consider taking a computer course at night, perhaps at a local community college. "Today, it's essential to be computer- literate," says Robert Connor, author of Cracking the Over-50 Job Market (Plume, $12). To present yourself in the best possible light, revamp your resume to emphasize your most recent experience. You may even want to omit your earliest jobs, says Connor, to avoid the impression you've been around forever. Focus your job search on elder-friendly companies and industries. For example, Days Inn of America, McDonald's and Staples like to hire older workers because they find them to be more dependable than younger ones. These companies, along with local merchants, hold job fairs each May in 100 cities (call the Days Inn nearest you for information). Most of the jobs they offer are in customer service and sales. Also, look for positions in smaller companies, where employers tend to value older people's experience, says Madeleine Swain, president of the human resources consulting firm Swain & Swain in New York City. Some employers shun older workers on the assumption that they will demand high salaries. You can sidestep that problem by targeting commission-based jobs such as travel agent or salesperson. And because some employers also worry that older workers will run up health insurance costs, you might volunteer to forgo benefits if you already have coverage through your spouse or as part of an early-retirement package. In job interviews, never mention how old you are (it's illegal for a potential employer to ask but that may not stop some from trying). If the issue does come up somehow, present your age as a strength. Be ready to cite ways in which your extensive experience can help the company solve problems. And remind the interviewer that a barrage of studies -- including a landmark 1993 report by the nonprofit Commonwealth Fund -- show workers over 55 to be reliable and productive and less prone to absences than younger workers. To dispel another misconception about older workers, show that you're comfortable with change. Keep up to date with developments in your field, and don't fail to mention ground-breaking projects you've worked on. Finally, project a vibrant, energetic appearance. That doesn't mean running out for a facelift or a hair transplant. It does mean wearing stylish clothes, shaking hands firmly and making small talk, say, about your thrice-weekly tennis game. "It's essential to appear healthy and vital," says John Challenger, executive vice president of the Chicago-based national outplacement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas. "No one wants a tired, lethargic employee."