Career

Instead of creating a long and boring list with all your qualities (e.g., disciplined, creative, problem solver), tries to connect them with real-life and work experiences. In other words, you need to back these qualities and strengths up; else, it will appear that you are just trying to inflate things.

Most companies are already using digital databases to search for candidates. This means that the HR department will run search queries based on specific keywords. Guess what? You will be out even before the game starts if your resume doesn't have the keywords related to the job you are applying for. Check the job description and related job ads for a clue on what the employer might be looking for.

Like it or not, employers will usually make a judgment about your resume in less than 30 seconds. Under this time frame, the most important aspect will be the titles you listed on the resume, so make sure they grab your attention. Try to be as descriptive as possible, giving the employer a good idea about the nature of your past work experiences. For example, Accounting is a bad title, whereas writing Management of A/R and A/P and Recordkeeping is a good title.

Including professional goals can help you by giving employers an idea of where you are going and how you want to arrive there. You don't need to have a special section devoted to your professional objectives, but overall the resume must communicate it. The question of whether or not to highlight your career objectives on the resume is a polemic one among HR managers, so go with your feeling. If you decide to list them, make sure they are not generic.

This point is valid for the overall order of your resume and the individual sections. Most of the time, your previous work experience will be the most important part of the resume, so put it at the top. When describing your experiences or skills, list the most important ones first.

First of all, make sure that your fonts are big enough. The smaller you should go is 11 points, but 12 is probably safer. Do not use capital letters all over the place; remember that your goal is to communicate a message as fast and as clearly as possible. Arial and Times are good choices.

Many people like to have statements like "Available for interview" or "References available upon request." If you send a resume to a company, it should be a given that you are available for an interview and will provide references if requested. Just avoid items that will make the employer think, "no kidding!"

Merely stating that you can do something will not catch the employer's attention. If you explain how it will benefit his company and connect it to tangible results, you will greatly improve your chances.

Resumes that include a long list of "responsibilities included." are boring and not efficient in selling yourself. Instead of listing responsibilities, therefore, describe your professional achievements.

Sure, we know that you are good-looking. Still, unless you are applying for a job where the physical traits are very important (e.g., modeling, acting, and so on), and unless the employer specifically requested it, you should avoid attaching your picture to the resume.

If you describe your past professional achievements, it would be a good idea to make them as solid as possible. Numbers are your friends here. Doesn't merely mention that you increased the annual revenues of your division, say that you increased them by $100,000, by 78%, and so on.

One of the most common mistakes is to create a standard resume and send it to all the job openings they can find. Sure it will save you time, but it will also greatly decrease the chances of landing an interview (in reality, it could even represent a waste of time). Tailor your resume to each employer. The same point applies to your cover letters.

A good starting point to tailor your resume for a specific employer is to identify what possible problems he might have at hand. Try to understand the market of the company you are applying for a job for, and determine what kind of difficulties they might be going through. After that, illustrate on your resume how you and your skills would help solve those problems.

It is illegal to discriminate against people because of their age, but some employers do these considerations. Why risk the trouble? Unless specifically requested, do not include your age on your resume.