How to Get a Lot of Miles Out of Your Resume

In today's economy, it's very important that anyone seeking employment must have a dynamic resume presentation. With so much competition for every good job, it's not enough just to have a good resume; it has to be great. Getting your foot in the door is the first step, and even though you have great skills, you're not sure if you can land an interview. So, how do you make sure you get that interview for that perfect job and what can you do to stand out from the crowd? Plainly stated, your resume must present you in such a way so that others want to meet you. In other words, your resume is your personal commercial and everyone knows a commercial convinces people to buy. To be sure you get noticed, your resume has to be more than a list of your career experience.

Should a Resume Be Short?

A lot of people feel insecure about not saying everything in a resume. Be assured, you don't have to tell the potential employer every detail. You just have to convey the primary details about your experience in such a way, so that they think you have what they're looking for. In my professional opinion, if your resume is too short, it might look as if you don't have enough experience to handle the job. If it's too long, it might appear too grandiose and pretentious. A good size resume should be approximately two pages. Why two pages? When you try to cram everything into one page, there is no way you can convey your qualifications and experience effectively. When you make it too long, you sound boring and pompous. Remember, a good resume presentation is worth its weight in gold and so it must not only be eye-catching; it should also show why you're going to be the best person for the job.

What Should be Included in Your Resume?

As you start to put together your resume, think about the qualifications you have to offer and why you would be perfect for the job. Never be afraid to sing your own praises, especially if they're true. Include education, work experience and special qualifications. Above all, be sure to convey any significant accomplishments you've achieved that you want a potential employer to know about. Keep in mind, there are many other people who want the same job, so you must show good cause for a potential employer to extend an interview. In addition to highlighting your accomplishments and experience, make sure your personality and work ethic shines through.

What about a Cover Letter?

Having written resumes and cover letters for close to 20 years, I can assure you, a good cover letter is as important as a resume. Why? A cover letter allows you to talk about yourself in the first person and lets you tell a story about your experience, your personality and your accomplishments. If done correctly, a powerful cover letter conveys to the potential employer the reasons why you'd be good at the job. Besides showing examples of your expertise, how you express yourself in the written form speaks volumes about you.

At First Glance:

When someone opens your resume, at first glance, there should be something that inspires them to read on. You might consider a professional statement, rather than an objective. Remember, you are trying to persuade someone to invite you for an interview, so your opening statement should leave them wanting more. It has been said, that the first few seconds are the most important when someone reads your resume, so be sure the beginning of your presentation is interesting. One small bit of advice! Unless you are in a very creative field, don't be flamboyant or over the top on your resume. You want to be impressive, but not ridiculous. Professionalism is the key.

In Summary:
Use an objective or professional statement at the very beginning of your resume.
If you have achieved something important, convey it in a resume; even if it doesn't pertain to the job, it will tell the potential employer something important about you
Make sure you include education, special training, memberships and associations
Provide information about your computer and technological skills
Express areas of strength and talents

When You Need Help Writing Your Resume

Many people have a hard time writing about themselves. Mostly, they don't realize that their qualifications are important. Others have difficulty being objective about their career history. After many years of writing for others, I know that it's important to convey your strengths and qualifications as honestly as possible. For some that seems impossible. If you are one of those people that don't trust yourself to convey your experience and qualifications effectively, a professional writer can help. With the gift to draw out your strengths and information, and then being able to present them in a way that conveys professionalism, a good writer can easily make sure you stand apart from the crowd.