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Make yourself look good: Show not only what you did, but how well you did it. Quantify it with numbers when appropriate. Show, clearly and succinctly, how you are smart, skilled, diligent, and mature.
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Make it look good: Create a visually appealing resume. If it is cluttered, difficult to read, or just plain ugly, it will be thrown away as fast as it was picked up.
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Make it interesting: It must capture the readers interest: show them what they want to see. General resumes can get lost in the crowd. Tailor the resume to each position you pursue. Highlight specific industry experience or training when it is relevant.
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Use active language: Begin each sentence with an action verb and remember to use the proper tense -- present tense for your current job, past tense for past jobs.
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Be concise: Best results are achieved with a one or two page resume. You want to get noticed, but you want to do that quickly.
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Be bold: The resume is not the place to be humble. Brag about yourself. Don't be shy, but of course don't lie.
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Don't get personal: It is not necessary to include personal information such as age, health, or marital status. It is also often illegal for employers to ask for such information.
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Don't expect a job: Expect an interview. That is the goal, the purpose of writing the resume. Show how you are different from the other applicants: get noticed and get in the door for that interview.
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Get real critiques: Ask friends to proofread your resume -- and tell them to be unmerciful. Yes, it may test your friendship, but this is really important. Spell-checking on the computer is not enough.
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Avoid the same old stuff: Don't write things like: "Self-motivated, hands-on team player with a proven track record in blah blah blah ..." Just don't do it, okay?
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Careers
Blunders
