In almost every job interview, a resume gives your prospective employer a first impression about you. If you succeed in making a good impression through your resume, you will get an edge over other candidates instantly, as the first impression is often the last impression.

Writing an Impressive Resume:

-Be clear and concise: Always be clear about your objectives when writing your resume. Be precise about the type of job you want and the skills that you have for the job. Try to put your qualifications, job experience as well as personal details in a concise yet complete manner. It is essential to be clear about your talents, as in many interviews the interviewer may ask you about your strengths and weaknesses. Try to provide a brief overview of your qualifications so that the interviewer can evaluate them for the job.

-Keep your target audience in mind: A resume is an advertisement that helps to market your talents. Similar to the marketing approach applied when selling a new product, you should determine your target audience when writing your resume. Ensure that your resume is customized to the position and company requirements. For example, if the company requires a marketing position, then make sure you highlight your experience in marketing.

-Always include objective and skills summary: Similar to a sales pitch, it is essential for your resume to attract the attention of the reader instantly. One way to do this is by highlighting your skills through your objective and summary of skills section. Another way is to follow up your introduction statement with a bulleted list of skills and achievements. Try to mention the skills that you’ve learned from your work experience at the top of your resume.

-Mention your achievements: Mentioning your achievements rather than merely job duties works wonders and enhances your chances of landing a good job opportunity. Use your resume as a tool to demonstrate your worth to the organization – it should reflect how you will be an asset to the company. You can include a few sentences describing your job responsibilities, in addition to concentrating on specific accomplishments. For example, if you’ve written press releases, don’t say “wrote press releases,” say, “developed press material that received nationwide media coverage.”

In the corporate world, it is the way you communicate that is more important than what you communicate. If you are able to communicate in an impressive manner, chances are you would be more successful than people who are more talented, but possess less efficient communication skills.

-Choice of words: Try to use action words to make a significant impression on the interviewer. Include words like managed, developed, prepared and monitored while highlighting your work experience in your resume. Doing this will not only give you a cutting edge over other candidates, but also increase the chances of your resume being selected by computerized resume scanners.

A resume is a vital tool that plays a significant role in giving you a good chance of landing a job with the company of your choice, so don’t take writing a good resume lightly.

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