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Five Steps to A Standout Resume

May 30 2007

Myra Thomas

Before you land an interview, you'll need to make sure you've got one of your job-hunting tools honed to a razor's edge: your resume.

Sure, you know your resume has to present your skills and work experience in the strongest possible way. And, you probably know most resumes get a first read that is, at best, quick. But when you consider that most hiring managers make their decision about a candidate within five minutes of beginning an interview, you may come to agree with Brian Smith, regional manager for the Los Angeles office of AccountPros, when he says your resume had better be a stunner.

Smith suggests your resume addresses these key issues:

Highlight Core Competencies

Make sure your resume clarifies your core competencies and main job qualifications. If you're working through Human Resources, and not with a hiring manager who may have a more direct understanding of a specific job, be sure the skills in your resume sync up with the requirements for the new position. In such cases, your audience is the HR person who is screening the resume, for whom you want to make sure your skills are presented clearly.

Use the Right Language

Use the lingo of the specialty you're applying for - and use it correctly. Make it obvious you understand the company you're talking to and the industry and profession you'll be working in.

Make it Active

Make sure the resume's language is active, and that it conveys your excitement about the job specifically, and the field in general. Employers key in on generic resumes sent out to many companies at once. Each resume you submit should be tailored to the company you're sending it to.

Format Counts

Use appropriate formatting and the right style for your resume. If you're unsure, check examples in reference books, consult a colleague or talk to the appropriate professional association.

Have any resume tips of your own? Post a comment below.

Comments (6)

  • Anyone have any suggestions for professional resume writers in NYC?  I have a lot of consulting experience, and unfortunately it is killing my chances of landing a permanent position.  I am not a job hopper, I took these assignments when jobs were thin in the market. Any suggestions, welcomed!

    Uptown Fool 01 Jun 2007

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  • Uptown Fool

    Consider collapsing your consulting experience under a single umbrella (i.e.  your own consulting firm)  Provide a general overview of the company's focus and core competencies (no more than 3 sentences).  "Highlight" a few select assignments to allow people to get a sense for the kinds of companies, and teh depth of the assigments you have workd on.

    Good Luck

    Mark 03 Jun 2007

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  • I am in the same boat. I left my full time job to raise my kids and am finding it very hard to land a full time position, so took consulting assignments. Now, recruiters do not want to help me. Too much consulting- job hopping. I do not do what to do.

    derswap 12 Jun 2007

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  • To Derswap:
    Recruiters work for the company, not for you. Too much emphasis is placed on resumes. I wish I had a nickel for every person with a gold-plated platinum-tipped resume who sucked at doing the actual work!  And don't bother trying to defend your resume. No one really cares what you did in the past.  Instead, focus on what you can do going forward---better yet, show them with an example of your work that is relevant to their business of making money.  This takes work on your part(and time), but it will make you stand-out from all the chumps who send in unsolicited bloated resumes and cover letters and wonder why they aren't getting anywhere...

    tj 20 Jun 2007

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  • What should be the optimum length of the resume of someone with 5 years of experience in the tech field. 2 pages? What do you do if your resume goes over 2 pages? Just remove job/s that doesn't relate to the bulk of your experience?

    Vic 20 Sep 2007

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  • i completed my mba in 2008
    i have no work experience
    i want to settle in hr profession
    how can i form my resume

    madhushalini 10 Sep 2009

    RECOMMEND Recommended 0 times | Alert Moderator

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