Tips for better resumes

1. Use action verbs.

Portray yourself as active, accomplished, intelligent, and capable of making a contribution. Examples: managed, launched, created, directed, established, organized, and supervised.

2. Avoid personal pronouns.

Never use personal pronouns such as 'I' or 'me' in your resume. Instead of complete sentences, use short action-oriented phrases: "Coordinated and published a weekly newsletter concerning local community events."

3. Quantify your experience.

Numbers are a powerful tool. Instead of saying "responsible for increasing sales in my territory", use "Increased sales in my territory 150% in 6 months. Managed 30 accounts for annual revenues of $2M."

4. List only recent information.

The general rule of thumb is to show your work experience only for the last 10 to 15 years.

5. Avoid questionable subjects.

Never make references to personal information such as race, religion, marital status, age, political party, or even personal views. In all but a few instances, it would be illegal for the employer to consider such issues. Also, avoid the use of humor and cliches in most resumes.

6. Personal traits.

If you decide to include personal traits, such as "Dependable, Highly-Organized, Self-Motivated, and Responsible", make sure they are applicable to the position desired. Will the employer consider them valuable?

7. Be positive.

Remove any negative comments or feelings conveyed in your resume, especially when it comes to previous employment experiences. Emphasize a positive, can-do attitude.