An ineffective resume can needlessly extend the length of your job search and cost you thousands in lost income. Utilize these simple strategies to bring your document in-line with hiring agent needs and increase your response rate when submitting.

1) UTILIZE A CHRONOLOGICAL FORMAT

A "Chronological" format lists your work history from most recent to least. As hiring agents focus on employment spanning the past 10-12 years, these are the positions that should be emphasized. Anything after this mark can be consolidated within an "Other Experience" section listing 1-2 key successes for each.

2) UTILIZE POWERFUL WORDING

Contrary to popular opinion, powerful resume wording DOES NOT mean stuffing sentences full of buzzwords. It means going through every sentence, line by line, to make sure a key skill or accomplishment is communicated as succinctly as possible. Take the following line:

"Closed precedent-setting $12 M sale by deploying a "best value solution strategy" leveraging technology and selected services by our strategic partner."

TOTALLY ineffective. The wording is confusing and only serves to gloss over the accomplishment. An effective re-write would result in a line like:

"Pursued and successfully closed $12 million deal through deploying solution utilizing technology and selected services of strategic partner."

The latter line is CLEAR, SUCCINCT, and places the focus where it should be: on the candidate. Utilizing this approach will greatly increase your chances when submitting.

3) STRESS YOUR UNIQUE VALUE

Analyze your work history to discover those special skills you can bring to an employer. Do you excel in building new client relationships? Have you provided exemplary staff training/mentoring? Can you rapidly troubleshoot an issue, or integrate leading-edge technologies? Identify those skills which you both possess, and which are frequently requested in postings for the type of job you're interested in landing, and highlight them throughout your resume.

Anish Majumdar is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Owner at Resume Orbit http://resumeorbit.com. 95% of clients report a significant increase in interviews within 30 days, and all work comes backed by a 100% Satisfaction or Money Back Guarantee (in writing). Please submit your existing resume for a FREE CRITIQUE spanning structure, language, and content: http://resumeorbit.com/free_critique.php