The resume is a tool with one specific purpose, to win an interview. A resume is a brochure, nothing more, nothing less. It presents you in the best light. A good resume is a document that shows the real you — without embellishment — but most certainly in the most attractive light! In this highly competitive job market, your resume has to do more than provide a simple outline of your previous work experience – it needs to be strategically developed as a personal marketing tool.

To have the absolute best chance of getting that role, I recommend talking to a reputable resume writing consultant, someone who makes an art of creating the best resume.

The word resume comes from the French word “resumer” which means to summarise. So the exact purpose of a resume is to summarise your experience, knowledge, and accomplishments. Therefore, you must avoid being too wordy. Say exactly what you mean in the least number of words possible. The length of your resume is important. Resumes should be from 2 to 5 pages long. Don’t be tempted to make your resume longer than 5 pages, even if you have a lot to tell. Remember that a resume is supposed to be a summary. A resume that is too long simply will bore the reader. There will be so much material that nothing will stand out and be remembered.

Following are some tips that will help you improve your resume, get it through the screening process and make it more appealing to potential employers

Don’t lie. It’s that simple. And don’t be tempted to embellish the truth. Of course, you would be foolish to include in your resume anything remotely unflattering But the risks of fudging the truth in your resume far outweigh the benefits, particularly when it comes to specific facts, such as credentials and titles.

Objective Statement That Is Flowery or Too General. Many candidates lose their readers from the very beginning of the resume — the “objective statement.” The worst objective statements start with, “A challenging position that will enable me to contribute to organisational goals while offering an opportunity for growth and advancement.” This type of statement is overused and too general, and therefore wastes valuable space

Too Short or Too Long. Too many people try to squeeze their experiences onto one page, because they’ve heard that a resume should never be longer than one page. When formatting the resume to fit on one page, many job seekers delete their impressive achievements. The reverse is also true. Take the candidate who rambles on and on for pages about irrelevant or redundant experiences — the reader will easily be bored. When writing your resume, ask yourself, “Will this statement help me land an interview?” Only include information that elicits the answer “yes” to that question.

Too Focused on Job Duties. One of the most prevalent resume blunders is to turn a resume into a boring listing of job duties and responsibilities. Many people even use their company job descriptions as a guide to developing their resumes. To create a resume that is a cut above the rest, you should go beyond showing what was required of you, and demonstrate how you made a difference at each company. Provide specific examples of how the company benefited from your performance.

Typos! One typo can land your resume in the garbage. Two typos or more, and your chances are greatly diminished. Proofread, proofread, and proofread. This document is a reflection of you and should be absolutely perfect.

Use dates to show when you did things, not just the vague “one year”.

Many people include their interests, such as reading, hiking, snowboarding, etc. These should only be included if they relate to the job objective

Personal information, such as date of birth, marital status, height and weight, should normally not be included on the resume.

Make sure your resume is complete with an e-mail address as well as a phone number

In a short, your resume can be described as a thoughtfully organised personal “brochure” that summarises your experience and highlights your achievements. It should present your skills, capabilities and strengths in the best possible light, without resorting to embellishment

This is a great post from the Whirlpool forum by Brad

Source http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies-archive.cfm/59476.html

(2)    Include power words in your statements. The three most effective power words are, Success, Results and  Achieve.

(3)    Try not use bullet points unless absolutely necessary to get your point across; carefully constructed sentences are far more effective. The key to successfully responding is to provide examples from your own experiences and use active language; an example would be “I implemented a system…” not “A system was implemented…”

(4)    Your sentences should be short and concise; generally shorter sentences demonstrate better writing communication skills and will be favoured by the selection panel.

(5)    Surveys indicate that the average successful Resume is two and a half pages long with emphasis on the work experience related to the Selection criteria under application.

(6)    Once you have completed your first draft replace any sentences stating “we” and replace with “I” but be careful not to use the same phrase over and over again.

(7)    Keep paragraphs between three and five sentences and try to duplicate your structure for all paragraphs. This will create a good sense of balance and flow for the reader. (also see tip #10)

(8)     Start each criterion on its own page with the criterion as the title.

(9)    Consistency is the key! Your cover letter, resume and statements against selection criteria should appear as if they are one document. Make sure all of the fonts, colour, spacing etc. Are fluent.

(10)   A paragraph should contain some particular structure in the following order.

1 A topic sentence – motivates the reader to want to read more

2 The first main point – proves backs up or explains the topic sentence.

3The second main point – usually provides a reason for the last point made.

4The third main point – can help prove the topic sentence or backup the first or second main point of the paragraph.

5The conclusion – sums up the main points or ideas and usually completes the topic.

(11)    Remember that your experiences can be from outside of your work life, an example would be under leadership skills, you may have been a team captain for your sporting team.