Truth or Trouble: It is always important to be 100% truthful on your resume, even if it seems like you're just fudging a teeny-tiny little bit. Dates of employment, degrees held, awards won and other information should always be unwaveringly truthful. You won't like the consequence of shame, embarrassment and not being offered the job when the hiring manager checks on your background and discovers that you've lied on a resume. Most companies have a zero-tolerance policy against lying, so don't test it out!
Appearances Matter: Spend the time and money needed to create a quality resume, don't print yours up on inexpensive copy paper with a fussy font and unsightly copier carbon streaks. Instead, use higher grade stationery and select a conservative font with reader-friendly serifs. If your printer isn't up to the task, transfer your resume to a CD or USB memory stick and take to a professional copy center for reprints. And, since you've invested the money, it would be a good time to double check for typos and mistakes.
Showcase Your Strengths: Always put the proverbial best foot forward when creating a resume. Sell yourself with a mission statement and follow up with information in the remainder of your resume that supports your case. If you haven't worked in a while, forgo a traditional, chronological resume and use a skills-oriented or functional format that allows you to organize information by competence.
Keep Fluff Away: If you are a seasoned executive with many years of experience, you may actually need a two-page resume. But, if you are listing every single job you've held since high-school or rattling off every two-bit client you've ever worked with, it's time to cut and then edit some more! Here's a resume how to, dump all information that is superfluous and irrelevant to the job you are seeking and you will find your resume to be much more readable by a prospective employer.
Todd Denning
Resume Locker
Resume Locker is your career home page. Create, improve, and store your resume online. Free recruiter blast to thousands of recruiters and free resume upload to over 10 leading job boards at Resume Locker http://www.resumelocker.com
