One of the questions I often get is “how do I make my resume stand out from all of the others?”  Great question especially since you are competing with possibly hundreds of other people who also want to do the same thing.

Here are two steps that will improve your chances:

1. If posting on-line, align your resume to the key words on the job description.  If giving your resume to a networking contact, review the wording of a similar position from the company website. Their key words = your key words.
2. Support your key words with specific accomplishments that showcase your talents.
   1. When creating your resume wording ask yourself some basic journalism questions; who, when, what, where, how.  While all these questions may not be needed for every resume statement, they will help you with your sentence structure and you’ll begin to see your strengths and accomplishments
   2. Ask yourself, “So what?”  This is the key question to clarify your thoughts and identify your accomplishments.  It should be asked for each of your resume statements. Did you save time or money?  Did you bring in more clients, produce revenue, design a new system, or launch a new product?  Write down the “so what” and make sure that it is showcased in each resume phrase.

These two steps will help differentiate your resume from the rest.  This careful planning and ensuring that your accomplishments are in the forefront will not only help you craft your resume but also help you nail the interview.