15 Tips for Writing Winning Resumes

The thought of writing a resume intimidates almost anyone.� It's difficult to know where to start or what to include.� It can seem like an insurmountable task.� Here are 15 tips to help you not only tackle the task, but also write a winning resume.

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1. Determine your job search objective prior to writing the resume.� Once you have determined your objective, you can structure the content of your resume around that objective.� Think of your objective as the bull's-eye to focus your resume on hitting.� If you write your resume without having a clear objective in mind, it will likely come across as unfocused to those that read it.� Take the time before you start your resume to form a clear objective.
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2. Think of your resume as a marketing tool.� Think of yourself as a product, potential employers as your customers, and your resume as a brochure about you.� Market yourself through your resume.� What are your features and benefits?� What makes you unique?� Make sure to convey this information in your resume.

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3. Use your resume to obtain an interview, not a job.� You don't need to go into detail about every accomplishment.� Strive to be clear and concise.� The purpose of your resume is to generate enough interest in you to have an employer contact you for an interview.� Use the interview to provide a more detailed explanation of your accomplishments and to land a job offer.

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4. Use bulleted sentences.� In the body of your resume, use bullets with short sentences rather than lengthy paragraphs.� Resumes are read quickly.� This bulleted sentence format makes it easier for someone to quickly scan your resume and still absorb it.

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5. Use action words.� Action words cause your resume to pop.� To add life to your resume, use bulleted sentences that begin with action words like prepared, developed, monitored, and presented.��

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6. Use #'s, $'s and %'s.� Numbers, dollars, and percentages stand out in the body of a resume.� Use them.� Here are two examples:

• Managed a department of 10 with a budget of $1,000,000.
• Increased sales by 25% in a 15-state territory.

7. Lead with your strengths.� Since resumes are typically reviewed in 30 seconds, take the time to determine which bullets most strongly support your job search objective.� Put those strong points first where they are more apt to be read.

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8. Play Match Game.� Review want ads for positions that interest you.� Use the key words listed in these ads to match them to bullets in your resume.� If you have missed any key words, add them to your resume.

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9. Use buzzwords.� If there are terms that show your competence in a particular field, use them in your resume.� For marketing people, use "competitive analysis."� For accounting types, use "reconciled accounts."�

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10. Accent the positive.� Leave off negatives and irrelevant points.� If you feel your date of graduation will subject you to age discrimination, leave the date off your resume.� If you do some duties in your current job that don't support your job search objective, leave them off your resume.� Focus on the duties that do support your objective.� Leave off irrelevant personal information like your height and weight.

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11. Show what you know.� Rather than going into depth in one area, use your resume to highlight your breadth of knowledge.� Use an interview to provide more detail.��

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12. Show who you know.� If you have reported to someone important such as a vice president or department manager, say so in your resume.� Having reported to someone important causes the reader to infer that you are important.

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13. Construct your resume to read easily.�� Leave white space.� Use a font size no smaller than 10 point.� Limit the length of your resume to 1-2 pages.� Remember, resumes are reviewed quickly.� Help the reader to scan your resume efficiently and effectively.

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14. Have someone else review your resume.� Since you are so close to your situation, it can be difficult for you to hit all your high points and clearly convey all your accomplishments. �Have someone review your job search objective, your resume, and listings of positions that interest you.� Encourage them to ask questions.� Their questions can help you to discover items you inadvertently left off your resume.� Revise your resume to include these items.� Their questions can also point to items on your resume that are confusing to the reader.� Clarify your resume based on this input.

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15. Submit your resume to potential employers.� Have the courage to submit your resume.� Think of it as a game where your odds of winning increase with every resume you submit.� You really do increase your odds with every resume you submit.� Use a three-tiered approach.� Apply for some jobs that appear to be beneath you.� Perhaps they will turn out to be more than they appeared to be once you interview for them.� Or perhaps once you have your foot in the door you can learn of other opportunities.� Apply for jobs that seem to be just at your level.� You will get interviews for some of those jobs.� See how each job stacks up.� Try for some jobs that seem like a stretch.� That's how you grow -- by taking risks.� Don't rule yourself out.� Trust the process.� Good luck in your job search!�

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Copyright 1999 - 2004�Quest Career Services, LLC.� All Rights Reserved.

Ann Hackett is the President and founder of Quest Career Services, LLC (http://www.QuestCareer.com), an online resume writing and outplacement services company.� Ann can be reached at ahackett@QuestCareer.com or 952-929-4197.