by Pauline Tesorio

Created on: May 18, 2008   Last Updated: December 19, 2009

The first step to land a sale is to market your product. So, the first step to landing a job is to sell yourself. To do that here are 10 quick facts and tips.

1) What is a resume, what goes in it?
Simply put, a resume lists your experience and tells the employer why they should hire you.

2) How long should it be?
It depends. The most important thing to remember in fact is that the attention grabber should be on the first page.

Consider one page if you have less than 10 years of experience, two if you have 10 or more and three if you are an executive with years of leadership experience.

Remember : Never sell yourself short and less words less mistakes.

3) What font should you use?
The best font is the simplest. Try a sans serif font, commonly "Arial" in word applications or a serif font that is evenly spaced such as "Times New Roman". The standard size is 10-12.

4) What are the different types of resumes?
a) Chronological which focuses on your professional experience.

b) Functional which focuses on skills you have now but not your history in getting there.

c) Combination or hybrid, which is the most popular because it takes the best qualities of the functional resume while still showing employment history.

5) 5 mistakes to avoid while putting a resume together.

1) Typos and grammatical errors.
2) Lack of specifics.
3) Exaggerating your work experience.
4) Focusing on your responsibilities.
5) Incorrect contact information.

6) Personal information section

1) Name
2) Address
3) Contact telephone number
4) Email address
5) Drivers License

7) Overview
An overview is a simple preview of what your employer should expect from the rest of the resume. It should be a few sentences and written as a paragraph, and include bits from here and there such as professional experience, academics and training. Your career goal would be the last sentence in your overview.

The overview section is important mainly because it provides the first taste of what they can expect from you and is an essential tool in grabbing their attention.

Brief is best, but remember, don't sell yourself short.

Use action verbs, key nouns, and adjectives to quantify and qualify your statements.

8) Work Experience
Always list this section in reverse chronological order(most recent first) in the format Employer, Position, Location. You should add your roles and responsibilities and the duration. Always place an emphasis on your accomplishments

Focus on your recent roles and accomplishments (the last 10 years). Make sure

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