In today’s ever increasingly competitive market it is absolutely essential to have a resume that shines above the rest. More than just a boring list of previous jobs held and schools attended a resume has to impress – immediately. It is sometimes your only chance to get your foot in the door.

One huge difference in today’s market is how resumes are “received”. In the past resumes were read by one or two HR people with the time to sift through dozens submitted by job hopefuls. Today, when a job is posted people all over the world are willing to compete for the position. To cope with the ever-expanding work force and hundreds of resumes that are received, they are often scanned through programs that pick up key words that fit the needs of the company.

Everyone knows that a resume should contain no more than two pages. Very likely, one page will be enough. Choose a format that gives you the ability to headline your best attributes and key skills. To increase your chance of being put on the short list, be sure to include this information that highlights your suitability near the top. Be sure to bullet point your achievements and the role you played in various positions then add a brief comment about them.

You want to leave out irrelevant information especially if it is of a personal nature. Companies are interested in your ability to fill a particular role that is available. They do not care that you need more money to pay child support. Don’t think they don’t notice your extracurricular activities though. Your participation within the community could later prove invaluable to them. The whole point of the resume you write is to point out the value you will add to a company. Keep this in mind with every word you carefully include in it. Don’t hesitate to go on line to find a resume format that best suits your personality and profession. There are hundreds out there that you can access for free.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 22nd, 2008 at 8:30 am and is filed under Resume Writing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.