Your resume represents who you are professionally and shows an employer how you can perform the job that the company is looking to fill.  Unfortunately, as with interviewing, being able to effectively create a resume is a skill that many people are not taught.  Taking the time to prepare your resume for each position to which you apply will give you the best chance to make the right impression on a hiring manager.

• Carefully review the job description for the position and use information to help you “target market” your background.  Not all of your experience and skills may be important for the role that you have applied.  As a result, you should select the keys to the job and show in your resume what makes you qualified for the role.
• Be specific, but concise.  Your background, including your education, skills, training and experience, probably does not fit neatly onto a single page.  It is important to realize that hiring managers are most interested in only the skills that match with the position for which you are applying.  Accordingly, you should keep your resume short, but make sure that you include specific examples of your accomplishments that relate to the job.
• Highlight the accomplishments in your experience that show how you can help a company.  If you have led projects or been a key contributor on a team during your career, use these points to show how you can provide value to a company.  Remember that an employer is making an investment in you; show them how you can “repay” that investment through cost savings, process improvement or other leadership contributions.