Done Correctly, a good resume can:

1. Be your calling card.

2. Help you win an interview.

3. Set your agenda during the interview.

4. Continue to sell for you after you've left the interview.

In today's real job search world, your resume will often work AGAINST you, knocking you out of the search process before you've even had a chance to begin.

Too often, a resume is just a screening-out tool. Used by lower level staff looking for a quick way to weed candidates out of consideration, your resume can work against you as much as for you.

Don't overload it with unnecessary or irrelevant information. One page is ideal, two pages only if you are a 15 to 20-year veteran with a significant growth and promotion history.

Think keywords and specific ways you helped your employer make money or save money.

The only benefit you can bring to the table is past performance. When you interview (either phone or in person) this is what will be discussed. But set the groundwork now in your resume. Think of all your jobs in the past and bring forth examples of some of your best work. How can an

employer think of you as a problem solver? If you can monetize it (state it in terms of money), so much the better. At the interview, you will be prepared to enlarge upon these successes.

And last of all, don't tell too much. A good resume should leave the prospective employer with a whetted appetite, a desire to know more. They will be likely to call and phone screen you. So don't fill in all the details just yet. Save that for the interview. Do, however, paint a big picture of who you are and what you can offer. This way the document can stand on its own.

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