Here are some good resume writing tips that I’ve gathered from outplacement consultants and executive recruiters. I can’t promise they will work but they all make sense and I’ve been getting consistently positive feedback on these ideas…
- Set up in reverse chronological order starting with your most recent position. You may have heard of the ‘functional resume’ that lists your skills by function. This approach is risky as recruiters don’t like surprises might automatically assume your are hiding something. If you aren’t going through a recruiter and want to tell your own story and the functional resume feels like a better fit – then it might be worth a try.
- Explain a little about each employer unless it’s a Fortune 100 company. One line about how big the company is and what business it’s in should suffice.
- Explain the scope and role you had in each position. Again, a single line explaining your responsibilities, level, how many people you managed, what your budget was, etc. This is not one of your accomplishments but just framing what you did at each job.
- List several accomplishments including what the problem was, what you did to solve it, and what the result was of your actions. This is a similar approach to how you should answer interview questions – situation, action, result.
- List your education at the end unless you recently graduated. Although a recruiter recently told me that the first thing he does when reviewing a resume is to flip to the second page to see where you went to school!
- For jobs 15-20 years ago, just state the position – that should be enough.
- Avoid objective statements since your objective is to get the job you have written the resume for!
- Have a summary statement but keep it brief.
- Try to keep it to 2 pages but make it easy to read. If you have to go to 3 pages or more, then do so but the most important thing is keeping it easy to read.
- Avoid gimmicks like neon colored paper unless you are going for a creative marketing/sales job.
- Ensure there are no typos, speling or grammatical, errors. Have several people proof read your resume.
- And finally, ensure that all your claims and statements are truthful.
Here it is – my 2001 Jeep Cherokee Limited 4×4. It’s got 63000 miles but runs perfectly and is in near showroom condition with just a few battle scars from the suburban front. What’s a Jeep without a little patina? The thing I love about my Jeep is what I call Clarity of Purpose. It knows exactly what it is and doesn’t pretend to be anything else. Solid axles both front and rear, the Jeep Cherokee XJ was one of the first SUVs on the market and it shows. Compared to modern SUVs, the XJ is short on cabin room, the steering lacks any on center (or off center feel), interior noise levels are high, and the ride is rough. But you don’t have to live with the other compromises that come with 3rd row seats, below the floor spare tires, low step in heights, and suburban lifestyles. The Cherokee also has a great stance, superb ground clearance, a tight turning circle, and that boxy no-nonsense solidity of a true off-road vehicle. Click 
The 2003 Pikes Peak Quattro Concept took the luxury crossover SUV segment to a conclusion that many other brands had tried to achieve. Audi created a refined, coherent, substantial, and upscale design that was truly it’s own. There was no attempt at rugged and tough SUV imagery. There were no faux off road accessories. The design stood on it’s own and eventually led to the Q7 – arguably, one of the very best looking designs in any segment, at any price. The production Q7 even improves on the Pikes Peak concept – especially from the rear with more definition to the rear lamps. The massive wheels and wide stance carry through as does the huge Audi ‘intake’ nose. My only negative is the massive bulk of the design when you see the vehicle in person. And is it just me or do Audi production interiors always look better than their concept interiors?!
I’ve always had a fascination with Maserati and that interest jumped when the Biturbo came out. Here was a compact car that had a bulldog stance, great design (if a little Baroqueish) and a rich, sumptuous interior with the classic center console analog clock all too common in lesser cars today.
