Unfortunately, that’s not the way to impress a hiring manager or a recruiter. In today’s job market, what you have to prove most is that you’re the ideal candidate for the position. That means focusing on one industry, one job (preferably from a posting you’re interested in) and dovetailing everything you’ve done toward that opening.

Some of you might now say that it’s impractical to do that if you’re submitting your resume to 20 or more openings in a week.

The truth is that your resume needs to be custom-tailored to each of those many openings. Why? Because if you’re skilled in accounting, sales, retail management, graphic arts, childcare and customer service, a firm that’s hiring for an accountant isn’t going to care about anything other than your accounting skills, as they relate to the job responsibilities of the position.

Don’t kid yourself that a hiring manager or recruiter will be impressed with all that you can do. Too much of this on your resume and you’ll confuse them as to what your skills really are and why you’re applying to their opening at all.

The best resume is focused, targeted, and relies heavily on accomplishments – not tasks – to tell the story of you.

Stay on point and be certain to tweak each resume to fit the opening. It will take some time, but it will also shorten your job search in the long run.

Most job seekers will use the popular reverse-chronological format. That is, you list your most recent job first, followed by the next most recent and on and on.

Others might opt for the combo format. It’s a mixture of reverse-chronological and functional. In it, you’ll list your skills in a functional style beneath the opening summary followed by professional experience in a reverse-chronological format. The functional skills are what you do in your job. For example: an accountant might list reconciliations, tax returns, AP/AR, etc.

Both the reverse chronological and combo type resumes give the hiring manager quick, easy access to what you can do.

However, the functional format hides important information from the hiring authority, mainly where you gained your experience. In a functional format, you’d list your skills, knowledge, abilities after an opening summary and then you’d simply list the name of your employers along with dates in the professional experience section. There would be no details as to where you did what.

When a hiring manager sees a functional resume, the first thought is that the candidate is trying to hide something. That might be job hopping, dated work experience, etc. What’s more, it’s impossible for them to know if you dealt with tax authorities (as stated in the functional section) at ABC Firm last year or XYZ Firm twenty years ago, as listed on your resume.

You see the problem. They don’t know you and you’re making it impossible for them to get a clear picture of your relevant and recent talents.

If you have been a job hopper or if your work experience is dated, it’s still better for you to use a combo type resume than a functional one.

One of the few times a functional resume can work is if you’re a contractor (self-employed) and the names of the individuals you work for (professional experience) isn’t as important as what you’ve done for them, especially if you’ve accomplished the same type work for each client.

Remember, you have seven seconds or less to compel a hiring manager to read your resume. Don’t put stumbling blocks in your path to an interview by choosing to use the functional format.

Unlike the days of GM (once known as Generous Motors) or a time when you could simply list your experience on a piece of paper and expect a job offer, today’s work prospects can be few and far between. The only way to safeguard your future is to be prepared for anything and have an outstanding resume at the ready.

Even if you’re not about to be laid off or don’t want to move from your company to another, a resume will come in handy if you’re seeking a promotion. In many companies, senior staff are being let go because of bloated salaries. If you have the talent, skills and knowledge to step into those roles, prove it with an achievements-focused resume. And, if you’re not looking to climb the corporate ladder, you can use your resume during your annual performance review to remind your supervisor of the stellar work you’ve done during the year.

If you are facing layoffs or downsizing, then you can’t do without a professional resume. In most industries, the newly unemployed will be competing with dozens, if not hundreds, of other equally-qualified candidates. A fraction of those individuals will get an interview and even less will be put on payroll. An impactful resume will give you a fighting chance.

At job fairs and even in your everyday life, having an up-to-date resume may be the difference between protracted unemployment and getting the job of your dreams. You never know who you’ll run into at social functions, church, your children’s afterschool activities. Those acquaintances and friends may be able to get you noticed with the hiring managers at their companies, if you have a resume that clearly showcases your skills and expertise.

Don’t make the mistake many do during this holiday season and tell yourself you’ll wait until New Year’s Day to worry about it. If you can create a stellar resume yourself, then start doing so now. If you can’t write the kind of document hiring managers want to see, then contact a professional resume writing service without delay.

This year, give yourself and your family the greatest gift of all – your job security and a solid financial future.

The wheels of commerce don’t grind to a halt in November and December. Job recruitment in healthcare, IT and many other industries is a constant.

Rather than taking it easy and thinking you’ll get back to your job search in January, consider this: A great deal of job seekers will be doing the same, thereby lessening your competition. While they cool their heels for January, you’ll be sprucing up your resume, honing your job interview skills and applying.

Wouldn’t one of the best holiday gifts be a new job?

Don’t wait and don’t kid yourself that it’s all right to delay the inevitable. Take charge today.

1. Review your resume and if it’s not up to par, have a professional work on it for you.

2. Sharpen your interview skills. Again, if you’re unable to do so yourself, engage professional services.

3. Apply, apply, apply. If you do so now, you may not have to wait until January to begin your new career.

4. Don’t fall for the herd mentality. The only word of wisdom you should be following is to make looking for a job your only job.

Those who keep at it will be the ones invited to interview. This holiday season, make certain it’s you.

You do. What employers want is quite simple:

1. An employee that requires little to no training

2. Someone who works well with others and fits easily into the company structure

3. An achiever rather than an individual who just puts in his/her time

Experienced professionals can easily meet the above ‘wish list’. However, to wow an employer it’s important to structure your resume in a certain manner to showcase what you can offer.

Begin with an opening summary that proves you are the ideal candidate for the position. Dovetail all that you know to what the employer needs. Add one, preferably two, recent/relevant/quantified accomplishments.

Follow that section with even more accomplishments. Most candidates won’t do that. So you’re already well ahead of the pack. Make certain that you add dollar figures of cost savings or earnings, time periods in which the achievement took place and how you managed to excel. Tell a story.

Your professional experience comes next. Don’t make the mistake of listing every job from college on. Go back no further than 15 years (10 for someone in IT). You’ll avoid age discrimination that way. Again, focus on the results of what you did rather than tasks. There are many individuals who can do the same job. There aren’t as many who can make the company money or save it money.

End with your education. If you’re 50 or older it’s best to leave off dates of graduation. Again, you don’t want to invite age discrimination. You want to compel the hiring manager to offer you an interview.

It isn’t always age that keeps a candidate from succeeding. It’s not knowing what to showcase in a resume or how to organize the document.

Keep the above tips in mind and you’ll stand out from the rest.

More and more companies are demanding that their employees prove their worth. It’s not enough to simply come in on time, engage in the tasks in your job description, then go home, especially if you’re in a contracting industry or your company is downsizing.

To be retained in this poor economy, you need to show your employer that you are invaluable. And if the worst happens and you’re laid off or your employer goes out of business, then you must market yourself to another company as being their only choice in a new hire.

How do you do this?

At your current job, keep updating your resume with all of your accomplishments (those activities in which you have either made your company money or saved it money). An up-to-date, polished resume will be invaluable should a promotion come available or if staff is going to be cut and your job is on the line.

If you’re looking for new employment, updating your resume is even more essential. Hiring managers and recruiters don’t know who you are and they won’t believe blanket statements like “I’m great at what I do”, “I’ll be an asset at your firm”. They want proof.

The only way to provide that proof is to again showcase what you’ve done at previous jobs. Make your resume accomplishment-focused rather than task-focused.  There may be hundreds of other individuals who can do what you do on the job. But there’s only a few that will excel, proving they will grow a company, adding to its success.

From the first day of any job, you should be looking five years down the road to what you want next and how you intend to succeed. During that time, you should do all that you can to make certain your employer sees you as an asset rather than a liability.

Keep a running record of what you’ve achieved. That running record is a resume. Make certain it’s always updated, always ready for the new job search.

The kind of employee you should be is one that everyone wants. All you have to do is prove it.

While that can be a great move in terms of job prospects, it does present a challenge in updating your resume.

Let’s say for example that you’re in retail management and have been for the past 15 years. However, before you were in retail you were an accountant for 5 years. Given the state of the economy, you see that there are more accounting than retail jobs available and you decide to go for it.

You create your reverse chronological resume (latest job first) and send it out, knowing you’ll be called in to interview. Days pass, then weeks without one call.

You can’t figure out what you did wrong. You’re a seasoned professional. You have the requisite accounting experience. It’s all there near the bottom of page two on your resume. Didn’t the hiring managers see it?

Probably not.

Hiring managers are very busy. They scan opening summaries and then the most recent work experience. They see that you’ve been involved in retail management, so they move on to find someone with accounting experience. They never bothered to get to the second page of your resume, because they don’t have time to search for important data.

How do you overcome this problem?

Rather than writing a reverse chronological resume, consider a combo type format. It’s a combination of a functional resume and a reverse chronological resume, and is popular with those in career transition.

After your opening summary – in which you state clearly that you have 5 years of accounting experience – you would have a section titled “Relevant Experience” - here, you would list what you know about accounting in subsections. They might be titled: AP/AR, reconciliations, payroll, etc.

Following that section, you would have a section titled “Professional Accounting Experience” – this would be listed in a reverse chronological order detailing your accounting career. Following it would be a section you’d call “Other Experience” – here you would list your retail management experience. However, you wouldn’t detail it as much as your accounting tasks.

By showcasing your accounting experience first, you’re providing the hiring manager instant access to the data s/he needs to make an informed decision about your candidacy. You’re not forcing the individual to search for the data. Trust me, most won’t. They’ll simply move on to the next candidate.

Whatever path you’re taking in your career, it’s wise to remember to dovetail and highlight your skills as they relate to the job you’re targeting.

Perhaps you had your start in sales or accounting but are now looking for a position in a new field. What do you showcase on your resume when your past experience is in a completely different industry?

1. First and foremost, place your Education and Training in the new field above Professional Experience rather than below it. Be certain that you include coursework studied in your new field. Did you receive an internship in it? Include that. Was your GPA 3.5 or higher? Be certain you state that on your resume. Were you involved in any special projects that prove you excelled in this new field? List details of that in the Education section.

2. Include only those tasks and accomplishments in your Professional Experience that will dovetail toward your new goal. If you were a whiz with details in your accounting career, play that up if you’re moving into healthcare, IT or any other field that requires meticulous attention to detail. Although the career paths are different, how you handled daily stats, etc. will prove to a hiring manager that you’ll be equally responsible in your new position.

3. Never state in your resume or cover letter that you have no experience in the new field. That’s opening with a negative rather than a positive. Play up what you do know, what you have done/accomplished and how it translates well to the new field. Highlight your education and training in the new industry. Play to your strengths, not your weaknesses.

Moving from one industry/career to another is never easy. However, you can prove to the hiring manager that you have what it takes in the new field if you organize your resume according to what the new company needs and your ability to accomplish it.

What’s not possible:

1. For any resume writer or service to guarantee you an interview or a job. Even if the economy wasn’t in such poor shape, a resume writing service has no control over your resume once it’s delivered to you. If you’re applying for jobs for which you are overqualified or under-qualified, then you won’t be invited to interview. If your industry is contracting, rather than expanding, then your chances of success go down no matter how great your resume is. If you give up and don’t use it, you’re guaranteed failure.

2. Guess as to what you want. If you have no idea where you’re heading, don’t expect a resume writer to know the answer. Asking someone to craft a resume without a firm plan as to the job you’re seeking is like asking someone to jump into a car on the West Coast and tell them to drive to a location in Manhattan without the use of a map. They may get there, eventually, but the journey will be a long and arduous one.

3. Fabricate data. Resume writers work from what clients give them. If you provide little to no data about your professional experience, they can go to the government’s Occupational Handbook and look up your job title and see what you’re supposed to be doing. However, all they can do is ask – “Did you do this? Or this? Or this?” Don’t expect them to read your mind. Give them all the data they need to work with.

4. Match the style you believe is best. Every writer has a unique style. Some you may prefer over others. That doesn’t mean the less preferred style affects the quality of the resume. The content is what’s most important, along with its organization. Just because a resume writer uses one word when you prefer another doesn’t mean that a hiring manager will reject you. Nothing could be further from the truth. Hiring managers and recruiters look at the whole picture, not one word or a series of words.

5. Be available 24/7. With any service you engage, you have to be realistic in terms of the time you expect from the writer. If you’re demanding round-the-clock service for the least amount of dollars, you will be disappointed. Only services that cost clients thousands of dollars will be able to provide a level of constant service, and even these businesses won’t work with any one client forever.

What is possible, and what you should expect from a professional service:

1. The terms of the service clearly stated on the website – eg: cost, turnaround time, any service guarantees, etc.

2. A level of professionalism indicated either by the writers being CPRWs (Certified Professional Resume Writers) or by the company being a member of the PARW (Professional Association of Resume Writers).

3. A clear idea of what the service provides in terms of business documents. The best way to show this is for the service to provide work samples on the site.

4. Membership and a high rating with the BBB.

5. Longevity of service. If a company has been around for more than ten years, then it’s doing something right.

6. One-on-one contact with your editor. This can be by email/IM/phone. Phone is preferred.

To make your resume writing or editing process a success, keep these points in mind before you hire anyone to work on your business document.

Most of us, however, have something in our past that we fear will hurt our future chances. So, what do you do to turn a negative into a positive?

First of all, look at yourself as a product you want to sell to the company with your resume and cover letter as the advertisements. With that in mind, try to minimize the negatives. For example, when you see a soft drink commercial, there’s no mention about sugar adding empty calories, harming teeth and contributing to ill health. The entire focus is on taste and sharing a soda with friends.

Keeping that in mind, never begin your cover letter with a statement like – “I know I don’t have any experience in this field, however…” No one will get past the no experience part. Or “I was laid off and haven’t had a job for two years, but…” Again, few will get past the ‘laid off’ and ‘no job’ for several years.

Instead, dovetail what you do know or what you’ve learned through recent retraining to open your cover letter and your resume. The first paragraph of your cover letter might read something like this:

“With comprehensive experience in accounting, including serving as the liaison with the IRS at XYZ firm, I can minimize company tax burdens. While at XYZ firm, I saved the company $1.5 million in tax liabilities.”

Nowhere in that paragraph does it say that the candidate is currently unemployed, nor should it. Instead, it begins with a positive – how s/he can save the company money through tax negotiations.

On the resume, the same concept is used in the opening summary. Start strong with one, preferably two recent/relevant/quantified accomplishments that will translate well to the job you’re seeking. In an endless sea of resumes and applicants, hiring managers notice this kind of data.

As to not having experience. If you’ve never worked in an industry and have no training in it, then don’t apply. Simple as that, because you’re wasting your time. However, if you’ve been trained in the field, play that up, not the fact that you have no experience. In the first paragraph of your cover letter, you might write something like this:

“In response to your posting for a dental assistant, I have worked with (then name the tools you used at school, the techniques, everything you trained in.) Be detailed. Don’t apologize for not having experience, present your skills and what expertise you do have.

Getting an interview isn’t easy, especially in our current economy. Even so, many individuals with less-than-perfect backgrounds do it every day. Their secret is simply presenting themselves in the best possible light in their cover letters and resumes.