One size fits all resumes are a thing of the past. The marketplace requires new resume techniques and the sooner you recognize this and act on it the more your resume will help Y-O-U. The best way to build your resume is to use the bullseye technique. This means your resume will need to target the specific needs of the employer you are approaching.



Statistics tell us that a resume gets only a few seconds of time during the review process. With this in mind it is important for the top-half of your resume to be right on target with regard to the employers requirements. Think of the top-half of your resume as your billboard or advertising section. This is the section where you will want to point out your specific strengths and use bullet statements to highlight results that you have delivered during your previous employment. This is ?not' where you put a boring objective statement of what you want to achieve. That is pass?. If you list an objective you must build it around what you will bring/deliver to the employer. Always keep in mind that when the employer is reviewing your resume they will be thinking "what's in it for me" and not how they can make you a happy camper. So, if your objective focuses on what you want it will be a turn-off right from the start.

The top-half of your resume should also include your ?professional highlights' or ?key achievements'. Again, when writing these make sure to highlight how you have done something the employer needs as part of the job requirement.

Using action words/phrases to begin your sentences is also critical. Just imagine how many resumes the employer gets ? literally hundreds, if not thousands. How will yours stand out from the pack and keep the ?reviewer' from falling asleep? Action words, that's how. Here are a couple of examples of how to start your sentences with action words that convey energy and entice the reader to continue:

? Achieved?

? Created?

? Reduced costs by ?

? Delivered?

? Generated?

? Spearheaded?

? Improved?

Use this technique throughout your entire resume. Get rid of any wording that is ?job responsibility' or ?job description' sounding. Employers want to know about your accomplishments ? they do not want a copy of your job description! Make sure to write about your achievements with descriptive words that help the reader visualize you in the position. And take a look online for ?sample' resumes to get a good feel for a fresh new layout. There are plenty of resume service providers that have samples listed on their websites.

Stay in sync with the marketplace ? a resume should be no more that 2 pages (unless you have patents or publications to list). Be sure to stick with communicating key information and use language that makes the reviewer want to read more about you and most of all ? get you in for the interview!