My wife wants to move back to her home state. I have over 25 years experience and I have sent out 40+ applications. Jobs I am perfect for, jobs I am under qualified for and entry level jobs. ZERO Phone Calls.
I need to just put my application like I am straight out of school.
Many places shy away with dealing with non-local applicants for various, often silly, reasons:
They don't want to offer/negotiate relocation expenses, don't want to deal with long distance interviews, don't have the setup/infra to give good long distance interviews, not willing to pay for travel for an in person interview, not willing to conduct only phone/video interviews, not willing to feel responsible for having an applicant pay their own expenses to travel for an interview.
Many places are not willing to consider/interview someone with those moving parts because if they don't hire them, or things don't work out after hiring them then the company/manager will feel responsible and the applicant might bad mouth the employer. Granted bad mouthing an employer after a bad hire experience can and does happen, it doesn't often have as much weight and drama as when someone "moved across the country".
It's easier for an applicant to shout "I flew across the country to interview and this company is/was a joke... they didn't hire me, and I had to pay to travel to the interview!" or "I was hired by this company and I 'moved across the country' for it and then they canned me for [stupid] reasons a, b, c, they are a joke! They 'ruined my life' Avoid them!".
Unfortunately you need to move then look for a [local] job or conceal that you are not currently a local applicant at least until to are at an in person interview.
When I turn up for interviews, nobody bats an eye, and all interview questions that touch on previous jobs talk about what I've been doing in the past 3 years.
Although if OP has sent out 40 applications and gotten no responses, ageism isn't the issue. There's something about his experience or resume that is turning people off.
In terms of resumes and job search, though, software development is completely unlike every other field. I don't think anybody's advice here on "here's how my resume of 15 years of c++ is arranged" is going to help you at all. It's a completely different world.
People complain about ageism in tech, but I suspect programming is actually one of the least ageist fields out there due to its underlying meritocratic nature.
I'm turning 45 years old next year; I've been employed as a software engineer since I was 18.
I've never had a problem getting a new job, whether by choice or because I had to due to a layoff or other scale back by a company. Part of the reason, I believe, is because I am always looking and working to improve my skills (my latest efforts have been in AI/ML and self-driving vehicle technology). I don't want to stagnate or otherwise get stuck in a rut, so to speak.
That doesn't mean I don't worry, but I think I may be ok as long as I'm not trying to drop into an SV startup/unicorn or one of the "big players" like Facebook or Google, that tend to hire younger players. That doesn't mean I'd turn down the chance interview at such a place, but I'm not looking in that direction (plus, I'm pretty rooted here in the Phoenix area).
Having just done my CV, I couldn't imagine paying someone for it - it's deeply linked to my personality and my own experiences.
Contact info is in the profile.
It's like direct mail marketing - expect a very low response.
From this comment I assume you've put your resume in a giant pile 40 times. Unfortunately that's probably not going to get you the job you'd really want but you probably know this already (apologies in advance).
In general, I'd always recommend engaging with potential employers at MeetUps, email / Twitter saying you like their business and want to put your skills to use, etc - something that differentiates you from the normal "applicant." You don't need to ask them for a job - just ask them for an informational interview / discussion and if you can help. If so, they'll refer you and you'll have at minimum an inside track to the application process. If not, you're still better off than you were before.
How about picking the top 5 that you are the best culture fit for and most excited about. After that, create well written 100% custom cover letters and relevant resume. You will get a 100% response, this has worked for me in the past and is a win/win for you and the employer.
In the long run it takes about the same amount of time. Now wear the employers hat...which one are you more likely to read and then engage with?
I've always done that and I have far less experience than you.
Education (But not a certified teacher) currently a STEm lab Coach for the past nine years, Systems Librarian and media creation (audio engineering and video editing). I also do a lot of statistical programming (R) for the company I work with for grants.
So I try to just make each resume simple for each job.