NINE STRATEGIES FOR AN EFFECTIVE RESUME

Following are the nine core strategies for writing an effective and successful resume:

1. Who are you and how do you want to be perceived?

2. Sell it to me … don’t tell it to me.

3. Use keywords.

4. Use the “big” and save the “little.”

5. Make your resume “interviewable.”

6. Eliminate confusion with structure and content.

7. Use function to demonstrate achievement.

8. Remain in the realm of reality.

9. Be confident.

Writing Style

Always write in the first person, dropping the word “I” from the front of each sentence. This style gives

your resume a more aggressive and more professional tone than the passive third person voice. Here

are some examples:

First Person

Manage 22-person team responsible for design and marketing of a new portfolio of PC-based

applications for Landmark’s consumer-sales division.

Third Person

Ms. Sanderson manages a 22-person team responsible for design and marketing of a new

portfolio of PC-based application for Landmark’s consumer-sales division.

REFERENCES

Kurzweil, M. J. & Middleton, C. A. (2015). Designing a sure-fire resume (pp. 6-10). Indianapolis, IN:

Rushton-Jansen Publishing House.

Perreault, R. M. and Engstrom, E. L. (2014). Writing resumes and cover pages (pp. 31-34). Los Angeles:

Pacific Blue Printing.