An external resume is the most common type of resume; it is a resume that you are sending to an employer you do not currently work for to summarize your skills, experience, education, and qualifications. You may send your resume in response to a job advertisement, or distribute it while cold-contacting employers or networking with others as a part of your job search. An external resume should have one primary goal: to land you an interview.

Determine what format fits you best. Resumes can be composed in several formats. These include chronological (date-based), functional (skills-based), and combination (a mix of chronological and functional). Visit web sites such as iSeek Jobs for examples of all formats. The chronological format is the most common.

Gather your information. Pinpoint your skills, abilities, accomplishments, and job interests. If you have already created a resume in the past, use this as your foundation and make adjustments. Collect information regarding the qualifications of the position you are interested in pursuing.

The first section should be your contact information. This includes your name, full address without abbreviations, phone number, and e-mail address. Consider using a larger font than the one used in the body of your resume.

Write an objective or professional summary/profile below your contact information. If using an objective, be sure it is to the point and contains the position or department title and several qualities that an employer can benefit from. A professional summary/profile includes a one or two sentence introduction to your professional background, similar to an objective, and further lists bullet points with specific skills. For example, "Implemented a one-million-dollar media budget."

Highlight your education. If you are a recent graduate or are currently working on your education, this section belongs at the top of your resume. If you have been in the work force for several years, locate this section below your work experience. Include your school graduation date only if it is within the past five years.

Add your work experience. If using a chronological format, for each employer, list company' name, location (city/state), position held, and dates. Then include bullet points with specific duties and responsibilities you had for each position. If using a functional or combinational format, use examples available at sites such as iSeek Jobs and consider a brief listing of your history toward the bottom of your resume.

Add volunteer experience and professional associations/memberships. Work that you do without pay can be a very important piece of information for employers to review, especially if you are considering a career change. Organize the information as you did with your work experience.

Finish your resume with a references section. Note that references will be available upon request. You should use a different document for a full listing of your job references.

Edit, use spelling/grammar checking, and ask another professional in your field to review your writing. The last thing you want to do is turn off an employer with a document riddled with spelling or grammatical errors.

Use action verbs. Lists of wording ideas are available on sites such as iSeek Jobs and Monster.com.

Many word processing programs provide resume templates. They can be very helpful, and you can use them as a base before customizing further.

Use keywords that apply to the job you are seeking. Find out what the "buzz words" are in your industry and use them in your resume.

Your resume should be on 8 1/2" x 11" paper, preferably a heavy-weight resume paper.

Save a both a paper copy and an electronic copy of your document.

Don't use "I" statements and be sure you are using the same tense throughout the document.

Always carry extra copies of your resume when applying for jobs, interviewing, or attending career/job fairs. Distribute a copy to friends and family. You never know who might be able to help in your search.