Well this is an easy question to answer because there is no such thing. Sorry to have to tell you that but there is no way to possibly create a resume that will please every recruiter and get you any interview. Why is that you ask, because every recruiter is different and have their own personal prefaces. I know this because I have been to many different seminars and conferences and one on ones sessions dealing primarily on resumes, which has taught me no matter how good a resume is there will always be something that a recruiter can see to change or modify. What you need to keep in mind is that they are only telling you to modify your resume to meet their preference and not to make a resume that can be universally accepted. With that said how do you create a “living” resume that can please most recruiters? Well here are some tips to making a successful resume that will increase your chances of getting you that interview you want.

• Don’t use a resume template. Why, because everyone else is. Recruiters have seen the same layout hundreds of times. If you create your own then that will cause them to stop and take notice because it’s something they haven’t seen before.

• Remember to try and keep your resume to the point and concise because recruiters take on average only 30 seconds to read a resume.

• Only add an objective to your resume if it is very specific otherwise it is just unnecessary fluff that will make your resume longer then it needs to be.

• In an effort to fit your resume on one page never use a font size smaller then 10 because if the recruiter has a hard time reading your resume they will just skip it.

• If you have limited work experience it is okay to add non-technical jobs to your resume if you can speak on that position in a positive light in an interview.

• Make sure that anything you put on you resume you are ready to speak on in your interview. I have gotten questions on the craziest thing from my resume in interviews.

• If you have published or developed any websites add those to your achievement section and bring them up in your interview.

• If you have any applications that you have developed place them on a CD and attach it to your resume. This will allow you a chance to showcase your skills.

• If you are one of the many IT professionals that have yet to receive a degree, place your education section at the bottom of your resume.

Now these are just a few tips that can set your resume apart from the rest of the field and give you a better chance at getting the interview that you want. Remember your resume only gets you the interview it’s the interview that gets you the job. If you have a great resume and a terrible interview then your not going to get the job you want, But don’t worry I’ll go over some interview tips in a future article. If you have any question or are looking for any advice or just want me to take a look at your resume and give you some feed back, you can e-mail me at me_conwell@compscistuff.com.