By Derek Mengwasser

 Don’t write the résumé as if its sole purpose was to land you the job.  The purpose of the résumé is to suck the employer in and land you an interview.

 Don’t make one long boring list of your qualities.  Try to incorporate them into real life situations.

 Human Resource Departments search through many applications a week.  Using the right keywords can improve them picking your name out.  If your résumé doesn’t have the keywords they are searching for, it is likely to be overlooked.

 Use titles that will grab the employer’s attention.  Don’t use plain boring titles.  Use titles that are descriptive and show your past work experience.

 It is old hearing this phrase over and over again, but proofreading is important.  One or two small mistakes and your résumé could be tossed in the trash.  Read over it two, three, four or as many times as necessary.  Seek proofreading help if necessary.

 Don’t have long paragraphs.  Employers don’t have time to read paragraphs.  Use bullet points and short sentences that get the point across.

 This is something that should be done throughout the entire résumé.  Generally put your work experience first because that is what the employer will want to see first.  When describing skills and experience, list the most important first.

 Don’t show negativity in your résumé or interview.  Things to avoid are talking in a negative manner towards your past employment or past co workers.

 Unless asked for your age, do not put your age on the résumé.  Employers aren’t suppose to do this, but there are some that still do and if you are to young of age or to old of an age. It may hurt your chances.

 If there are some past jobs that you aren’t proud of or relevant to the current job opening you are applying for, you do not need these on your résumé.  Put work experience on there that the employer will be looking for or wanting to see.

 This can be a variety of different things.  Avoid putting things like your political affiliation, religion, and sexual preference.

 It seems obvious not to, but there are plenty of people that do.  Avoid even small lies to make yourself look better.  Be completely honest on your résumé.  Employers do background checks and one small lie can ruin your credibility.

 Employers are recruiting specialists.  Employers don’t want to read lots of information.  Make sure all the necessary information is there and remember shorter the better.

 Use action verbs in your résumé.  These verbs are verbs that get noticed more easily and will communicate what your experiences and achievements were.

 Good idea to keep your résumé up to date.  Add any new information that might be relevant like training programs or academic achievements

 Stick to the basic and try to sell yourself in the résumé.  Only put in information that is relevant and remember no long boring paragraphs.  Proofread over and over again.