Resume Righting
It is important to understand the mindset of the individual who will review your resume. Employers do not read resumes for the sake of those seeking a job, but because they need to hire an individual with certain skills. Obvious point, yet many job seekers mistakenly believe employers carefully read each resume and cover letter. 
In reality, the employer tasked with reviewing resumes is pressed for time and must race through, quickly setting aside those that are lengthy, unconventional, lack dates of employment, not an obvious fit, or simply difficult to comprehend.
1. The ideal resume makes it easy for the employer to evaluate the job seeker’s level of experience and range of skills.
2. Unless you have a very specific objective, leave it off your resume. If your objective doesn’t match the position being filled, the employer may use that fact to disqualify you for an interview.
3. A resume is a marketing piece. Your achievements, awards, and accomplishments will distinguish you from other, similarly qualified candidates, so make certain they are listed on your resume.
Employers are desensitized to vague assertions of achievement, so claims must be specific and quantified. Statements such as “Managed the creation of a successful major gifts program” are so common as to be meaningless, but a more detailed description will get attention: “Solely responsible for establishing and overseeing a new, major gifts program, which subsequently raised nearly $400,000 within two years, exceeding the second year goal by 10%.” (More on this here.)
4. Put your cell phone number (or work number) on your resume. Interviewers will call during the day and you should make it as easy as possible for them to reach you immediately and directly, or risk missing out on an interview opportunity.
5. Put your email address on the resume.
6. Contrary to what is often taught in school, the preferred resume format is historical rather than functional. The decision maker wants to see, in chronological order and in context, the progression of positions and responsibilities you’ve had over the years.
7. You must include the years of employment for each position.
8. Older workers sometimes leave early work experience off their resume in an effort to disguise their age. However, employers do not prefer younger workers to older ones; they prefer workers who are best qualified for the position. Older workers have more experience, maturity, and insight–qualities which are essential for many positions. In fact, age and experience provide older employees with a competitive advantage over younger workers; it is the one qualification that a younger candidate cannot offer. (More on this here.)
9. Proofread your resume and then have someone else proofread it for you. You don’t want typos, mispellings or unclear statements to hurt your chances for an interview.
10. Depending on your years in the workforce, a one or two page resume is sufficient. The longer your resume, the less likely it is to be read. Start your resume by putting down the required information (dates, employer, title) and then add the information you are most interested in having a decision maker read. Everything you add after this point will dilute the resume, so add judiciously.
11. Stylistically, your resume should be simple and straightforward. Attempts to make the resume fancy or eye-catching just detract from your qualifications.
12. If your resume runs more than one page, do not put page numbers within the body of the resume since the actual page breaks will vary depending on the software and display mode on the viewer’s computer. The proper way to insert page numbers is in the header or footer.
13. Resumes today are typically emailed to an employer and emailed from one person to another within a company. Don’t bother faxing or mailing.
14. Cover letters should be kept short and to the point, as they are often not read, especially if lengthy.
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