Do you want a resume that kicks butt?  Do you want to know the secret to landing job interviews with just a few pieces of paper.  Well, I don’t have those answers, but here is some solid advice for writing a great resume.

1.  Create bullet points that highlight “proveable” experience.  Managers want to see what you have done, so don’t use works like;  “facilitated” or “experience with”.  Employers want to know that you have driven your department, projects or past employers to success.  What was your ROI to your employers and how do you put that into words?

2.  Be prepared to back up everything on your resume.  If you say one of your technical skills is “java”, then be prepared to discuss a project where you actually programmed in java (note; java is not coffee for my technically challenged friends).

3.  Put your education on the resume, if you did not graduate from college or were a few classes shy of a degree, make it clear.  Many times experience will outweigh the lack of a degree, however not making it clear can be mistaken for “misleading information” by some managers.

4. Double/triple check for spelling errors or any little mistakes (font sizes, same bullets, grammer grammar, etc…).  Your resume is your introduction to an employer, make sure your first impression is the right impression.

5.  DO NOT LIE.  Be honest about your experience, dates of employment and titles.  This one will come back to bite you!  YES employers actually do conduct background checks.  REMINDER: you give them permission to do so by signing a background consent form.

That’s it!  It’s actually not as difficult as we make it.  You should have someone check your resume that understands you background/field of expertise.