1. Never lie or knowingly misrepresent information on your resume (examples are college degrees, dates of employment, position titles). Word-crafting your resume to bring your strengths in synch with corporate needs is smart personal marketing tactics. Keep in mind, however, that many companies today do thorough background checks that may include your work history, education, drug tests, criminal record, driving record and credit report. If a company discovers that a candidate was not honest on their resume, many times that will be grounds to not hire or, in fact, fire that individual for cause. 

2. Use a chronological format resume whenever possible. It is a common human tendency to think of events in chronological order. If a recruiter receives a resume that is not in chronological order, it often raises questions (i.e. "What is this person trying to hide). An exception to this is if you are switching careers, but even then a chronological resume may work just fine.

3. Clearly position yourself in a SUMMARY at the top of your resume. Trying to "cover all the bases" tends to confuse the job market and individual recruiters.  If you use an "Objective" at the top of your resume, be sure it clearly states which strengths you bring, rather than list your desired employment.  If the recruiter has to guess or has any doubt it reduces your chances of further consideration.

4. Your resume should reflect the type of work that you are highly qualified to perform... Do not let it become a historical epitaph of the jobs you've had.  Be highly selective with the accomplishment statements (bulleted sentences) you use to support your qualifications for the desired work.

5. Your most recent, supportive work should be highlighted to qualify you for an employer's needs.  A recruiter will scan down your resume to your last two jobs to see how closely they match the jobs the recruiter is trying to fill. This is one of the most important factors in determining if your resume will warrant further review. Include the job title for each position and a brief job description (one line of text) for each position. If your job title does not clearly represent the work you performed, then use the most common or accepted title for the work you performed.

6. Write your resume simply and clearly so most anyone could understand what you are trying to say. Write your resume so it will not leave any room for questions or doubts. Some examples of potential question areas are indicated below.

a. For each position held indicate the dates from beginning to ending. Recruiters will ask you the dates for each position to identify the exact duration you were in the job and to determine if there were gaps between jobs and if so was there a good reason for the gap.

b. For each position include the city and state where the position was located. Many positions require experience in a specific market or city. Recruiters will probably ask you the city and state if it is not included.

7. Be sure to include key, behavioral "stories" within your experience... Recruiters and hiring managers are looking for what you contributed to that organization on your resume and does it translate to the position for which they are hiring. Use three or four bullets under each job position to illustrate your greatest accomplishments or contributions. For each bullet, use the WAR (what did you face, actions taken, results gained) or STAR (situation, task assigned, actions, results) to clearly show accomplishments. 

8. Each bullet should quantify how you contributed to the bottom line or success of an organization. Use percentages, numbers, dollar figures, and cost savings to quantify your accomplishments wherever possible.

9. Use a font that is easy to read. Avoid using Italics, underlining or excessive bolding. In today's digital age, keep most of your body copy flush left... this prevents OCR scanning from missing text.

10. Place your academic credentials where they belong relative to your experience.  If college degrees or certifications are required or critical to be considered for the position, then list them toward the top of the first page of the resume. If they are not a requirement, then list them at the bottom of your resume.

.