The Perfect Resume

The perfect resume presents hiring managers with a four-fold vision of who you are and what you bring to the table:

The perfect resume offers Logical Proofs:����

• Facts
• Quantifiable data
• Logical conclusions
• Achievement and success statements
• Relevant professional goals/accomplishments
• Limits the use of jargon
• Maximizes use of occupation/industry-specific key words
• Your capabilities and skills
• Clear, specific, measurable, and quantifiable words and phrases
• Sells you based on your achievements to date

The perfect resume offers Your Vision & Creativity:

• Balanced white space
• Visually easy to read
• A resume style and paper consistent with your self-marketing vision
• Clear big picture of who you are
• Sells you based on your potential
• Examples of your creativity relating to your targeted position
• Your vision of your role and your capacity to contribute

The perfect resume offers Sensible Organization:

• Easy-to-follow resume structure
• Presents relevant historical information in reverse chronological order
• Places the most relevant/marketable data early in the resume
• Omits what cannot be proved
• Is error-free
• Is neatly laid-out and word processed
• Stretches to the appropriate length for someone of your experience (one page for up to 10 years of experience; 2 pages for up to 15 years of experience, and 3 pages for senior-level positions demanding over 15 years of experience)
• Sells your past

The perfect resume offers Your Personality and Values:

• Stresses your interpersonal/written communication skills
• Describes your teamwork skills and cites examples of your cross-functionality
• Highlights your work-related values
• Showcases your work-related personality
• Previews who you are
• Emphasizes your uniqueness
• Is enjoyable to read
• Sells who you are
  

Why not review your resume by comparing it with these four critical categories?� You may discover why your resume isn't winning you the interview response you'd hoped for with hiring managers.

Cheryl Lynch Simpson is a Spiritual Director and Solutions Coach who helps women discover and create the life they've always wanted to live.� Cheryl is the author of over 30 print/Internet articles and the founder of Coaching Solutions For Women, a coaching website that produces and showcases career, business, and life solutions that improve the life balance of today's busy women.� For a complimentary copy of her latest e-book, Ten-Minute Stress Zappers for Women Service Business Owners, visit http://www.coachingsolutionsforwomen.com.