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A resume is a sales brochure, and the product that it is selling is you. Resume writing is a skill in the same way that creating an eye-catching, attention grabbing marketing brochure is a skill. When putting together your resume you might be tempted just to list all the jobs that you have had, exams you have passed and your hobbies, but this is not a resume - it is a list, and lists don't sell things.

In today's tough conditions the resume is becoming more important because there is greater competition for jobs. The internet has made searching for jobs easier because recruiters can advertise thousands of positions online, updating information on a hourly basis. But it has not made getting jobs any easier, because employers still only want to interview a finite number of people, and the pool from which they can choose is now much larger.

This is why the resume's role as a sales tool is so important. It needs to contain only the information that will convince a recruiter, or an employer, to speak to you and perhaps to offer an interview. When you construct a resume you need to think about the sort of questions a recruiter or potential employer will be asking.

Because the resume is a brochure that is promoting a product, it is possible that you might need more than one resume. If you are a qualified accountant who has also been a project manager you might want to prepare two resumes - one which promotes your accounting knowledge and experience and one which promotes you as a project manager.Most of the information on the resume will be the same, but the emphasis will be different.

Too many people still think that a resume has to list everything they have already done. I've read too many resumes which look more like job descriptions; they are long lists of tasks but they don't give much insight into what the individual has achieved in their career. I have written many resumes on a professional basis, converting my clients' dry lists into a punchy, dynamic statements of achievements and abilities.

A good resume will open doors and a bad one will keep them closed. The majority of recruiters use web based tools to search for resumes, and the process they use is similar to using a search engine: it's all keyword based. Once they have created a list of resumes that contain the correct keywords they will review each one, spending a few seconds scanning the first page of the document. If the first few lines don't contain information which catches their attention there is a good chance that they will move on to the next one. Your resume has a few seconds in which to make an impact and to help your career take a step forward.

Learn more about this author, Andrew Michaels.
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