The Essential Elements of a Great Resume

A great resume will include the following:

Contact information:  Keep this accurate and up to date.  Only include a telephone number where you know you can conveniently accept phone calls without distraction, or where the employer can leave a message.  

Objective:  The objective is the guiding force of your resume. It is the statement that tells the reader you know what you want and you are confident in your ability to get it.  All other information that rolls out over the next two pages should be driven by this statement, while directly supporting and correlating it.

Qualifications:  Contrary to popular misconception, your qualifications do not refer to your past titles and duties.  In fact, your qualifications have little to do with positions you held before, but everything to do with the skills that made you successful at those positions.  Employers are not interested in the tasks you performed, but in the skills that you utilized every day to perform those tasks successfully.  It is a subtle but extremely important distinction.  You must definitely list your positions, but when describing the job functions, try to focus on your skill set, rather than merely listing tasks.

Achievements: This is the most underrated element in resume writing, and is far too often overlooked.  We all have made achievements in our life and career, and they should be emphasized on our resume where pertinent to the position. An achievement does not have to mean having been awarded a badge or a ribbon.  It means giving examples of how you influenced the outcome of a situation and had a significant positive result for your company.  In a competitive job market, it doesn’t matter where you worked or what your title was if you can’t provide examples of what you achieved during your time there.  Including notable achievements on your resume may be what sets you apart from other candidates.

Any other pertinent information:  In some cases, there may be other information that is deemed pertinent based to the type of position you are seeking.  Things like volunteer work, community services, participation in fund raising activities, or active endorsement of charitable cause should be included if they have significance to potential employers.

Most importantly, keep the information pertinent and relevant to the job you are targeting.