Your resume is your personal marketing or sales brochure crafted for the explicit purpose of promoting your attributes, skills, achievements and creativity. It's intended to reflect a highly polished and professional image without getting too personal. The creation of a persuasive and inspiring resume can be a formidable and daunting challenge even for the most astute job seekers! When crafting a resume, it's easy to 'sell yourself short' by omitting vital skills and notable career achievements. The fact is, your skills are highly portable and may unquestionably be relevant to many new market sectors.

An ordinary, 'run-of-the-mill' resume doesn't inspire the interviewer nor present the job seeker as the caliber of candidate employers want to interview and hire! Consequently, it's mandatory that the hiring manager be fully aware of your qualifications and inspired by your versatility and talent. Your career accomplishments and skills won't get you a job if no one knows about them!

Performing your Self-Discovery

Before crafting your resume, methodically reflect and define your career achievements no matter how insignificant they may appear, if you're comparable to many of the people I've worked with - you're rolling your eyes and mumbling profanities. Unfortunately, the diligence and resolve required to negotiate this hurdle is not negotiable. The truth is, most job seekers don't relish the thought of crafting a resume any more than the job search itself. The discovery process is a necessary and invaluable exercise to 'ferret out' and uncover background details and vital omissions to ensure 'no stones are left unturned'.

The Impact of Your Resume

Approximately 80% of resume content should reflect the achievements and creative strategies which have propelled one's career. An employer is not motivated by the words - Responsibilities or Accountabilities. These words have no place in a resume, nor do they impress a discerning hiring manager or recruiter. Whether related to humility, apprehension, or a self-defense mechanism; the job seeker must understand that the absence of noteworthy achievements and accolades in their resume will seriously hamper the job search. In-lieu of 'responsibilities' or 'accountabilities', the job seeker should incorporate 'action keywords' such as - managed, coordinated, planned, developed, created, oversaw, etc., to preface one's recognition, accomplishments, and successes.

Don't Derail Your Job Search

Your resume should be an engaging 'self-marketing' document on steroids and not a chronological obituary. Its purpose is to showcase why you are the candidate of choice. Commit the time to reflect and encapsulate your significant achievements and career milestones. By doing so, you unleash your full potential with an impressive resume that broadcasts your superior qualifications to an inspired reader.

Visit our website for a FREE copy of our acclaimed primer 'The Interview Tune-Up Guide'. Lenny Keitel is a former Director of Professional Services and Information Technology with Fujitsu. Lenny runs Hudson Valley Resumes in Monroe, NY, a premier resume writing and consultancy service with a penchant for crafting impressive resumes that inspire and motivate the hiring manager through its inspirational content, clarity, and visual appeal. Email: infoAThudsonvalleyresumes.com, Phone: (845) 782-6714, Mobile (914) 391-5300.

Lenny Keitel
Hudson Valley Resumes
http://www.hudsonvalleyresumes.com