How to Write a Great Resume

Have you ever wondered that if that resume you just turned over to an employer ever made it past the closest trashcan? There are a few laws of the resume jungle that it pays to follow to get yours past that formidable foe, the secretary's trash can.

1. Target your reader. Remember that different types of employers are looking for different things. For instance, those tougher-than-nails HR people are looking for particulars. Does your skill exactly fit the job that they have listed? How is your stability factor in the profession that you want a job in? And then that dreaded personality type.

There are hiring managers that look for job skills first, flexibility second and lastly your ability to learn quickly on the job.

And the recruiters bring up the back. They are looking for marketable job skills first. It's that money thing with them. If your skill is not in demand, they don't make any money. And they won't be calling if you are not an exact fit in the job that they have. Remember that when creating the perfect resume.

2. Convince them fast and really fast. You have about 30 seconds to convince a reader that your resume is worthy of a complete read. You actually may have less time than that since human resource managers and recruiters are not patient. You must write a resume that gets the point across quickly. This requires a lot of careful planning about each word that you write.

3. And what are your strengths? We have all heard that line before. But in a resume those strengths are what should be first. Always list your top accomplishments where they will be read in that crucial first 15 seconds.

4. The matter at hand. You have to assume that the hiring powers know what position you are applying for, so show how your experiences meet what they are looking for. Never believe that the resume reader can read between the lines and just 'know' your value. Tell them!

5. Bullets. Use them! This draws the reader's eye immediately to the main points of the resume and quickly. Elaborating on these points should be saved for the interview.

In a recent poll, recruiters stated that they spend less than 15 seconds on the first page of a resume.

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