Resume Writing: 3 Tips To Improve Your Message!

Resume writing can sometimes be a mystery. A friend tells us about a formatting trick, or you read that someone got a whole series of job interviews by sprinkling the resume with an unusual formatted bullet points. Really, it rarely happens this way.

Yes, jobs are found using these different methods, but the majority are discovered by paying attention to details, and working a well thought out job hunting plan on a daily basis.

Your goal should be to adjust those small details that will improve your resume. By making some minor adjustments to resume details the document becomes more readable and will increase the motivation for the employer to call you.

If you are making any of the following mistakes writing and formatting your resume here are some fixes that will make your resume more readable.

1. Make your resume unique and more readable. If your resume is distinctive you will stand out from the competition. Don't just grab the first MS Word template and start plugging in content. If you do, your resume will look and feel like so many others. This means you've lost the advantage to differentiate yourself from the other candidates.

How your resume looks can sometimes be more important than what it says and how it reads.

2. Be relevant in your resume content. Focus your accomplishments to the last ten to fifteen years. If you've worked more that fifteen years, include that experience in an "Employment Summary," section.

This will give you more room on the resume to add accomplishments that more closely match the needs of the employer. List your accomplishments in the order shown in the job announcement. For example, if the first qualification is cost cutting, your first achievement should tell the employer the results you accomplished cutting costs.

Stay away from copying content from websites or examples in resume writing books. Using this information as a guide is acceptable but copying will ultimately trip you up in a job interview. Moreover, your resume will show a number of writing styles, another dead giveaway that the information is not authentic.

3. A quick positive scan of your resume will sell the message. In formatting your resume be light on responsibilities and long on accomplishments. Short sentences in focused paragraphs combined with bullet pointed statements marking achievements will increase readability.

Clip your completed resume to a wall and stand six or so feet away. What do you see? Is it balanced? Are the appropriate headings highlighted? Can you count the bullet points? Make changes to adjust the balance and improve the readability of your resume.

Your job search revolves around your resume. You should have enough information to tailor-make each resume to fit as closely as possible the needs of the prospective employer. In effective job hunting a generic resume will always be out shown by a distinctive tailor-made document. Add a great layout, and an emphasized list of accomplishments and you've got a winning combination.