Top Five Characteristics of a Winning Resume

Prior to the U.S. economic meltdown, which started in the home mortgage market and systematically moved across corporate and commercial bank lending, the job market was booming.  Jobs were at a surplus.  Candidates were solely judged on their merit and experience.  However, with changing times, employers are looking at newer ways to eliminate unqualified candidates sooner in the recruiting process in order to save time and money.  The recruitment process has become more of a practice of elimination than selection.  One of the major areas that affect your job prospects is the presence of a great resume.  Take the first step in presenting yourself to prospective employers by creating the perfect resume. 

Great resumes are marketing tools that define your skills and abilities to the employer.  Therefore, formatting your resume to suit the employer’s need is your main objective.   Here are some distinct ways you can determine if you have a great resume:

Relate Your Contributions.

Employers always seek candidates who have made valuable contributions to the environment they were once a part of.  It does not actually matter whether the contribution is big or small.  The goal is to try to relate your contributions with the position for which you’re applying.

Accentuate The Positive.

Focus on your strengths.  Define your positive attributes to help a prospective employer understand you better.  Avoid mentioning weaknesses.  Your goal is to impress the employer as they review your resume.

Be Truthful.

It is never a good idea to lie on your resume.  Employers always extend job offers with a clause that gives them the right to terminate your employment, at any time, if you are found to have given false information.

Relevant Experience.

Employers will scan through your resume for any related experience that might give them a reason to pick you over another candidate.  Therefore, your experience needs to be well organized and easily transferable for the company to understand how you will fit into their organization.

Expertise.

In addition to education, skills and experience, your expertise will differentiate you from others applying for the same job.  With years of experience, you may have gained expertise that puts you above the status quo.  This will give your resume a big boost and a great reason for an employer to choose you.  This is especially true with technical jobs.

Rachel Herron is the Principal & Founder of RachelsResumes.com and writes a blog entitled Resume Advice from HR.  She has worked as a Human Resource Manager for over ten years specializing in recruiting, interviewing, hiring and orientation.  In her role, as a Human Resource Manager, she has come across many job seekers who have a hard time conveying their strengths and abilities well enough on their resumes to land that desired job.  Rachel seeks to help people create their personal brand and use it to communicate their talents and successes.

Find out more about Rachel’s resume writing services by contacting her via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  or by visiting www.rachelsresumes.com.

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