Sorry for being a bit absent recently. I have been attending conferences, and meeting with HR individuals in the community. After my most recent events here are  a list of things to think about when creating your resume.

Resumes Tips & Facts:

• Resumes just go into a huge stack
• How to differentiate yourself?
• Resume value is 0 if it doesn’t catch the employers eye
• Resume’s need to be intensely tailored to the business to be at all effective 
• Resumes are sorted like junk mail

                  
                      - Generic packaging 
                      - I don’t know who is sending this to me why should I read it

• 1% of HR people interviewed said they utilized resumes to find a prospective employee to interview

  
                    - They traditionally use networking as their main method
                      - 60%-70% are filled by personal contacts
                      - Career builder filled less than 1%
                      - Monster 1-2% (hint: apply directly to the employer though their website)
                      - Hot jobs less then 1%

• How about having a connection call on your behalf to recommend you for a job

                      - Old method: letter of transmittal 
                      - Current method: recommendation letter

• How about making a business plan instead of a resume

                      - How you plan to solve the business problem rather then just explain your background.

• Most important: True Motivation and Desire to do the job
• Resume needs to be perfect
• Chronological preferred-combination would be acceptable
• Pro bullets
• Consistency important (Structure, experience, and words)
• Some employers are not as worried about perfection
• List key achievements instead of objective
• Summary of experience instead of objective
• Sell experience not job duties
• Talk about saving the company money
• Talk about projects that were implemented
• Values white space imagines a box now imagine a arrow starting in the right corner and working down to the left. Everything to the right of the arrow has been not read.
• Personality is key-Remember to sell, sell, sell yourself
• It appears no effort has been spent if someone utilizes the Microsoft office template
• Create bullet points on your resume that match up with the  job description/job lead 
• Follow up-after sending the resume call for confirmation (how many times have you sent an email to a coworker or friend that they didn’t receive what you attached, make sure to do a follow up call or email)
• Utilize your cover letter to do all the explaining of transferable skills