Review your resume. If you have an existing resume, review (or ask a friend, colleague or family member to review it). For each statement under the experience section ask Does this statement come closer to describing what I was told to do, that is could it appear in my job description or does it come closer to reflecting what I really accomplished? For example, if you worked in a store, stating Opened the store would be more of what you were told to do. Achieved 100% sales award would be more of an accomplishment.
Remove task oriented statements. For each statement that appears to be more of a job description or "told to do", ask Would a potential employer with reasonable knowledge be able to infer this statement knowing my job title? If so, the task oriented statement is adding little or no value to your resume and is using up your potential employer's goodwill reading it. Remove it.
Add results oriented statements. Your resume may look a bit empty at this point. If so, ask yourself What did I really accomplish on the job? See if there are statements which reflect each accomplishment for each position. For example, the following accomplishments might have been omitted from the resume and should be added: Sold more products than other employees on my shift Praised for outstanding customer service by management Have more repeat customers than any other sales representative Suggest additional useful products to customers, increasing sales by 25% Customer satisfaction rating of 90%
Reformat the experience section of your resume. It should be more Results Oriented at this time. Iterate this process many times.—Even after weeks of iterating, you will normally continue to find room for improvement. The aim is to showcase how you've made a difference by leveraging your skills. It is important, if you can, to equate a number to that difference made using those skills because it makes you a much stronger candidate than those many of other candidates vying for the role who have not outlined their results so clearly.
Add a strong relevancy statement. Now, you need to make the resume Relevant to the employer. Determine what position you are applying for and write a few phrases explaining how your results (from the experience part of your resume) make you the world's best (or as close as you can come to it) candidate for the job you are applying for. For example: Eager to apply my experience as an award winning cashier, outstanding customer service representative, and engaging team leader to manage the front end cashiers and achieve highest possible customer satisfaction at Joe's Superstore. Place these phrases right under your name and contact information at the top of your resume. (While you may not label this as such, it is your objectives section).
Verify that your resume is coherent. Verify that each phrase in your objectives section is supported by documentation in your experience section.
Customize the objectives statement for each position you are applying for. You may want to update the experience section as well. It is not uncommon to spend a half day or an evening customizing a resume (along with your cover letter) so that it meets what your potential employer is looking for; it is time well spent when you land the job. Clearly show how the employer can benefit from the skills and the expertise that you bring. Don't assume the employer will grasp this without it being made clear by way of examples of how you've helped make improvements, changes, renewals, or increases in previous roles.
Check your resume for formatting, spelling, and similar errors.
Solicit review of your resume by a friend, family member, mentor, or colleague. It is highly likely that they will see errors or better ways of phrasing some of your statements that you have missed. They will help you to see if anything is wrong with it and say whether or not it is good enough.
Send the resume in. Look forward to receiving positive feedback from the potential employer if the resume truly ROARs (namely, is Results Oriented And Relevant).
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