NRIplacement-Why is a resume so important?

The average employer spends only 10 seconds looking at a resume. Yet it is the only contact you have with the potential employer. Most employers are actually looking for a reason NOT to interview you. There is no room for anything but a flawless, compelling document that reflects who you are and what you've accomplished in the most beneficial light. In this increasingly competitive job market, you must have a professionally crafted resume in order to stand out among the hundreds of job seekers applying for the same position as you-it's no longer an option. Is your homemade resume ready to make the cut? You work hard everyday. You've spent years acquiring the skills needed to outperform the competition-and make no mistake about it-this is a competition. Don't let a single mistake misrepresent years of hard work. Remember, only 10 seconds can decide your future. Regardless of your professional and educational background, your career will be summed up in the blink of an eye on a single piece of paper. Communicating your qualifications effectively is harder than you think. The purpose of your resume is to make a good first impression, and if you cannot achieve this goal, then your chances of an interview are virtually impossible.

Even the strongest writers in the world need editors to review their work. A single mistake on a resume will be caught by either a resume writer or a potential employer-which would you prefer? Adept at gauging your qualifications, please understand exactly what employers look for and will describe your complishments and skills in the most effective manner. Have you overlooked a duty you performed that might be crucial to obtaining a new job?. Please get help from professionals before posting your resume.

Engineers, Programmers, accountants, teachers or CEOs have to prepare resumes for almost every job on the planet. But unless you carefully and objectively examine your resume before sending it out, recycling bins across America may be filling up with those ill-planned documents.

1. Appearances: Don't try to save money by printing your resume on cheap copy paper instead of good quality stock.
Check for typos, grammatical errors and coffee stains. Use the spell check feature on your word processor and ask a friend to review the resume to find mistakes you might have missed.
2. Size of your Resume: If your career warrants a two-page resume, then go ahead and create a document that reflects the full range of your experience and accomplishments. Don't reduce the type size to such a degree that your resume becomes
difficult to read.
3. Honesty: Don't fudge over dates or titles on your resume to hide the fact that you have been unemployed, that you switched jobs too frequently or that you held low-level positions. If a prospective employer conducts a back ground check and discovers that you lied, you can kiss the job good-bye.
4. Clear Your Case: If you are seeking a job in a field in which you have no prior experience, don't use the chronological
format for your resume. By using a functional or skills-oriented format, you can present your relevant experience and skills
up front.
5. Show Your Achievements: Don't simply copy the job description jargon from your company's HR manual. To show that you are more qualified than the competition for the positions you are seeking, you need to do more than simply list your job
responsibilities. Present specific accomplishments and achievements: percentages increased, accounts expanded, awards won, etc.
6. Don't Show reasons: why you left the Past Job ?: Don't include the reasons you are no longer working at each job listed on your resume. The phrases Company sold," "Boss was an idiot" and "Left to make more money" have no place on your resume.

7. Show your Current Experience: While it is certainly acceptable to have a two-page resume, don't list every single job
you've ever held. Personnel managers are most interested in your experience from the last 10 years, so focus on your most recent and most relevant career experience.
8. Mail your resume if You Qualify: Don't mail out your resume to every ad in the Sunday or Saturday newspaper. If you are not even remotely qualified for a position, don't apply. Read the ads, determine if you have the right credentials and save the wear and tear on your printer.
9.Send Your Resume Only: Don't include copies of transcripts, letters of recommendation or awards, unless you are specifically asked to do so. If you are called in for an interview, you may bring these extra materials along in your briefcase for show-and-tell.
10. Personal information: Don't include information on your marital status, age, race, family or hobbies.