The key to writing a great resume for a recent college grad is to think like an employer. Ask yourself what a hiring manager might be looking for as he scans your resume. Keep the job description in mind and write your resume with the position in mind. Focus your resume on your accomplishments and what you can bring to the job.

Design a resume that shows off your ability to be serious and professional. Your resume should be simple, concise and easy to read. Don't use fancy fonts or artsy images to set you apart from the pack. Indeed, a crazy looking resume will make you stand out, but not in a good way. Instead, center your name and contact information at the top of the page and use an email address that doesn't give you away as a keg stand extraordinaire. Your first name and last name in an email address is enough.

Tailor a professional summary at the top of the resume to each position for which you apply. You don't have to change your entire resume for each job, but a three sentence description of your background, knowledge and skills that are relevant to the position can help the hiring manager focus on you and what you have to offer.

You may not have an extensive career history, but you do have experiences that are impressive and noteworthy for any job. Instead of just listing your duties for each part time job or summer job, or work study position, list your accomplisments. Briefly describe what you did and what was the result for your actions. Employers like employees who can bring results. List these accomplishments using bullet points so that it's easy for the employer to quickly scan and pull out these accomplishments.

Play up your academic achievements. If you're a recent grad, chances are your academic background is more extensive than your work history. List your high GPA, your honor societies and any specific courses you've taken, especially if they're relevant to the position.

Indicate the significance of any special awards or honors you've received. For example, mention that your award winning short story was honored out of 1,000 submissions. Provide a brief description of the award granting organization to show why this was such a great honor.

Highlight leadership and organizational functions. Volunteer organizations and school clubs can be written as work experiences, especially if you were in charge of a committee or planning events. Leadership and organizational abilities are qualities that employers look for.

Tips:

List your jobs starting with the most recent first.

Leave out dates of employment if it works to your advantage.

Make sure your resume is clear and easy to read. You want it to grab your attention rather than seem invisible.