The Perfect Resume

The perfect resume presents hiring managers with a four-fold vision of who you are and what you bring to the table:

The perfect resume offers Logical Proofs:

• Facts
• Quantifiable data
• Logical conclusions
• Achievement and success statements
• Relevant professional goals/accomplishments
• Limits the use of jargon
• Maximizes use of occupation/industry-specific key words
• Your capabilities and skills
• Clear, specific, measurable, and quantifiable words and phrases
• Sells you based on your achievements to date

The perfect resume offers Your Vision & Creativity:

• Balanced white space
• Visually easy to read
• A resume style and paper consistent with your self-marketing vision
• Clear big picture of who you are
• Sells you based on your potential
• Examples of your creativity relating to your targeted position
• Your vision of your role and your capacity to contribute

The perfect resume offers Sensible Organization:

• Easy-to-follow resume structure
• Presents relevant historical information in reverse chronological order
• Places the most relevant/marketable data early in the resume
• Omits what cannot be proved
• Is error-free
• Is neatly laid-out and word processed
• Stretches to the appropriate length for someone of your experience (one page for up to 10 years of experience; 2 pages for up to 15 years of experience, and 3 pages for senior-level positions demanding over 15 years of experience)
• Sells your past

The perfect resume offers Your Personality and Values:

• Stresses your interpersonal/written communication skills
• Describes your teamwork skills and cites examples of your cross-functionality
• Highlights your work-related values
• Showcases your work-related personality
• Previews who you are
• Emphasizes your uniqueness
• Is enjoyable to read
• Sells who you are
  

Why not review your resume by comparing it with these four critical categories? You may discover why your resume isn't winning you the interview response you'd hoped for with hiring managers.

Cheryl Lynch Simpson is a Spiritual Director and Solutions Coach who helps women discover and create the life they've always wanted to live. Cheryl is the author of over 30 print/Internet articles and the founder of Coaching Solutions For Women, a coaching website that produces and showcases career, business, and life solutions that improve the life balance of today's busy women. For a complimentary copy of her latest e-book, Ten-Minute Stress Zappers for Women Service Business Owners, visit http://www.coachingsolutionsforwomen.com.

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