e-Resume: Tips for better eResume   
Tips for a Better e-Resume

• BE FLAWLESS: Catch all typographical and grammatical errors. Make sure to have someone proofread your resume, preferably someone attentive to details. Even the smallest error could land your resume in the electronic recycle bin.
  
  
• STATE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: Form a solid, clear objective that will help you carry a focused message throughout the resume. The objective summarizes your skills and emphasizes your strengths.
  
  
• WHY DOES THE EMPLOYER NEED YOU? : Keep your attention on highlighting accomplishments that will arouse the interest of employers who read resumes asking themselves: "What can this candidate do for me?" Remember, the goal is to get to the interview.
  
  
• MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION: Employers spend less than 30 seconds on average scanning each resume. Place the most interesting and compelling facts about yourself at the beginning, such as a list of accomplishments in order of relevance.
  
  
• EMPHASIZE YOUR SKILLS: Use a skill-based resume format that is organized around the main talents you have to offer.
  
  
• USE KEYWORDS: Include specific keywords and phrases that describe your skills and experience, such as Product Launch, Income Statement, Balance Sheet, Sales, Account Management, C++, Visual Basic, Word Processing, MS Excel, Adobe Illustrator, Graphic Design, Advertising.
  
  
• USE BUZZ WORDS: Use industry jargon and acronyms to reflect your familiarity with the employer's business, but not to the point where it makes your resume hard to read or understand. Spell out acronyms in parentheses, if they are not obvious.
  
  
• USE ACTION VERBS: Portray yourself as active, accomplished, and intelligent, capable of making a contribution. Examples: Managed, Launched, Created, Directed, Established, Organized, Supervised. AVOID PERSONAL PRONOUNS: Never use "I" or "me" in your resume. Instead of complete sentences, use short action-oriented phrases.
  
  
• HIGHLIGHT KEY POINTS: Although most formatting functions, such as bold, italics, and underline, are lost in an electronic resume, you may use capital letters, quotation marks, and even asterisks to emphasize important words or section titles.
  
  
• SUMMARIZE INFORMATION: While electronic resumes may exceed the traditional 1 to 2 page limits of traditional paper resumes, it should not exceed 3 pages in most cases.
  
  
• LIST ONLY RECENT INFORMATION: The general rule of thumb is to show only the work experience over the last 10 to 15 years.
  
  
• QUANTIFY EXPERIENCE: Numbers are a powerful tool. Instead of saying "Responsible for increasing sales in my territory," say "Increased sales in my territory 150% in 6 months; managed 30 accounts for annual revenues of $2M".
  
  
• BE ORGANIZED, LOGICAL, AND CONCISE: In addition to reviewing your experience, employers also use the resume to get a sense whether you are organized, logical, and concise.
  
  
• JUST COMMUNICATE: Abandon the utilization of exorbitant exquisite vocabulary. In other words, don't try to impress employers with the depth of your vocabulary. Use words everyone can understand.
  
  
• OMIT SALARY INFORMATION: Never make reference to salary in your resume.
  
  
• AVOID QUESTIONABLE SUBJECTS: Never make references to personal information such as race, religion, marital status, age, political party preference, personal views, etc. In all but a few instances, it would be illegal for the employer to consider such issues.
  
  
• BE PERSONAL, YET PROFESSIONAL: Create a resume that reflects you.
  
  
• BE HONEST: Lying or exaggerating your abilities will always come back to haunt you. Since employers usually check into serious candidates, you will want even the smallest detail to check out.
  
  
• SELL YOURSELF: Do not under-emphasize your strengths and experience. Portray yourself in the best possible light. Skills that come naturally to you, others may never grasp.
  
  
• PERSONAL TRAITS: If you decide to include personal traits, such as "Dependable, Highly Organized, Self-Motivated, Responsible, etc.," make sure they are applicable to the position desired. Will the employer consider them valuable?
  
  
• SHOW CONSISTENCY: To de-emphasize glaring gaps in your work history, consider using a functional resume, which focuses on your skills and accomplishments rather than a chronological format, which emphasizes the progression of your experience.
  
  
• BE BALANCED AND NEAT: The effective resume is balanced, neat, visually appealing, and flows consistently. Clearly separate sections and emphasize section titles. Leave sufficient blank space between sections for easy reading.
  
  
• STICK WITH COMMON SECTION HEADINGS: Use common section headings. Examples: Objective, Experience, Employment, Work History, Skills, Summary, Summary of Qualifications, Accomplishments, Strengths, Education, Professional Affiliations, Publications, Licenses and Certifications, Honors, Personal, Additional, References.
  
  
• USE DIFFERENT RESUMES FOR DIFFERENT JOBS: Personalize your resume for each prospective employer. Tailor the listing of your skills and accomplishments to show how you are most qualified for the particular position the employer is seeking to fill. Creating just one general resume will prevent you from sounding focused or as qualified

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