There are parts on a résumé that are critical to compete in this fluctuating job market. Sure you can get by with the résumé you currently possess, but these adjustments will make all of the difference in the world:

1. Instead of an OBJECTIVE or QUALIFICATIONS SUMMARY, try using a headline like PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER. Use two or three sentences to summarize your contributions and solutions with one or two hard skills, and one or two soft skills. Try, "Adventurous and creative Public Relations Manager who oversaw the latest Maybelline campaign with a $ 5MM local budget..." What is critical here is to sell your self, and focus on the defining attributes that brought success. To say, “Public Relations professional seeking a position to use my strengths…” is over used and does not capture anyone’s attention.
2. Use a Professional Skill or Key Competency section that will list specific and tangible skill sets such as QuickBooks, Microsoft Office Suite. The first two sections are opportunities to use keywords and skills that employers have clearly posted as required and desired. Job seekers, making that leap from support to management, should focus on a skill set that would capture management skill sets.
3. Employers scan keywords and phrases to determine the candidate with the most skills and adequate experience. The résumé with the most keywords and phrases are likely considered for interviews. Example: An architect should have words like design, project management, renovation, construction, etc. Your résumé should not look or read like a job description, but more like a contribution statement. The keywords will empower your résumé to tell the story of how you reached the level of success achieved.
4. Each résumé should include quantity, quality, cost, and time (QQCT) measures as RESULTS, ACCOMPLISHMENTS, ACHIEVEMENTS and IMPACT. $ and % are attention grabbers, so rhetoric is irrelevant. Do your due diligence by researching these results by going to a copy of your review, or calling a department that keeps the records. Without lying or falsifying information on your résumé, recall or find measures that would define your job performance better than throwing out clichés such as “Excellent communicator” or “proven track record.”
5. Overall, the presentation must be aesthetically pleasing. Pretty documents mean everything, especially when the 99% of the competition will forward lousy résumé. One resume to fit all diminishes the value of experience a job seeker brings to the table. Perfection is the goal, with no errors in spelling, grammar, alignment, and spacing. Remember, one job requires one resume customized for one position.
   

BONUS TIP: If you have a formal evaluation, or a letter of accommodation, include a quote or two after one or two of the listed jobs. This strategy will help anyone stand out among a thousand resumes any day!
Despite news of a growing job market, your résumé must COMPETE.

All of these suggestions will help you stand out in this vicious job marketplace. It is up to you to present the best you.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

http://blog.competitiveresumes.net