A GUIDE TO RESUME WRITING
by the NRWA

1. There is no universal resume format. There are only guidelines. The resume writing example below is intended for that purpose.
2. Actively sell your qualifications by focusing on accomplishments and results rather than routine job descriptions.
3. Final hiring decisions are rarely based on resumes alone; however, the resume should be a concise, factual and positive listing of your education, experience and accomplishments.
4. Make sure the information you provide (throughout the resume) is relevant to prospective employers, supports your candidacy and focuses on skills and experience needed to do the job.
5. Be conscious of the continuity of your history. The reader will be looking for reasons to eliminate as many resumes as possible. Writing resumes with gaps of unaccountable time often reach the circular file.
6. Weigh your choice of words. Select strong action verbs, concrete nouns and positive modifiers for emphasis. See our list of high-impact words below. Use concise phrases and clauses rather than complete sentences.
7. Try your resume out on someone who knows you and who will be objective in his or her opinion.
8. Keep a separate list of references and make them available only on request.
9. Always send a cover letter on matching paper with specific references to the company's needs and your qualifications for the job. A personal letter is always best, so make an effort to get the name and title of the individual making the hiring decision.
10. Remember, your resume is only a door opener to get a personal interview. You should carefully frame your resume as a platform for your interview, setting the stage for the discussion. Your resume should help you control the interview agenda, and your resume is also your final word that others may see after your interview is over.

• Submit your resume on high quality paper the reader will remember; paper that looks and feels valuable just like you, the candidate! A research study conducted among business decision-makers recently concluded that the use of Southworth's fine business paper used for resumes led to more positive impressions and more positive business decision outcomes than documents printed on ordinary copy/ multifunction paper.
• Make your resume stand out! Look for our exceptional resume folders and 9" x 12" mailing envelopes.

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Answering the following four questions in a fully persuasive way will greatly increase your odds of developing a winning resume. The questions are the crucial elements of the resume writing formula. Answering them will not only give you the material you need for building a strong resume but will also prepare you for networking and interviewing. Use the resume writing examples below as a point of reference.

What do you want?
What is your job target? The resume should be built around your job target (whether you include an objective or not) so that prospective employers can immediately see what position you are aiming for.

Why are you qualified to do it?
That's the summary or "professional profile" section. This is where you outline the skills and credentials that qualify you for the job. You can break your skills into functional sections or use bullet points to highlight key points. If this section is done properly, it will convince prospective employers that the rest of your resume is worth reading, bringing them to the next question.

Where have you done it?
That's the "experience" section. The reader needs to know whom you worked for, the city and state where they are located and what you did. Ideally, your job descriptions should include lots of active verbs and focus on keywords and functional skills that are most relevant to your job target. See our list of words below.

How well have you done it?
Listing accomplishments and special projects shows by example that you have contributed to previous employers' bottom lines. The best accomplishments are those that demonstrate quantifiable results or your willingness to go "the extra mile." Did you come up with an idea that saved the company money? Were you promoted because of your team building skills? Were you selected for a key program because of your positive attitude? Whenever possible, describe how you improved previous employers' bottom lines - i.e., doubled sales, cut costs, reduced errors, streamlined processing or improved efficiency.

Change Your Job Change Your Life 7th Ed., By Ronald L. Krannich, Impact Publications, 1999
What Color is Your Parachute? by Richard Bolles, Ten Speed Press, Berkely, CA, 2001

GREGORY SMITHERS 435 Miranda #62 Bend, Oregon 97231 (555) 555-9087 Professional Profile M.B.A. graduate with record of success in sales management and marketing at the local, regional and national levels. Creative problem solver with ability to drive revenue growth, resolve conflict, improve morale and consistently exceed profit goals. Computer literate. Management - Solid background in planning and executing sales and marketing plans.  Hands-on manager with highly developed negotiation skills and experience cultivating strategic business partenerships. Equally strong in budgeting and financial management. Marketing - Proven ability to recognize and capitalize on market trends and assume bottom-line responsibility for strategic planning, pricing, market research and forecasting. Broad knowledge of marketing disciplines, including research, telemarketing, promotional planning, pricing, merchandising, event planning and advertising. Team Building - Decisive team leader with extensive experience recruiting and hiring sales teams, developing talent and creating effective training programs. Communication - Persuasive communicator with well-developed presentation and negotiation skills. Able to develp productive relationships with colleagues, customers and staff at all levels. Experience COLLECTIONS UNLIMITED - Gresham, Oregon 2000 - Present Branch Sales Manager Oversee branch sales operations for the world's largest national/international commercial collections firm. Direct a sales force of 35 and coordinate telemarketing functions. Conduct biweekly sales meetings and provide ongoing (2-3) hour sales mentoring sessions for individual team members. Recruited and developed sales force. Reduced staff turnover by approximately 24% Tripled sales and client base; increased book of accounts (from $90,000 to $322,000) and fees (from $7,200 to $38,000) ADVO COMPUTER SERVICES - Bellevue, Washington 1995 - 2000 Owner/Western Region Manager Directed Western Region sales operations and oversaw six satellite offices. Recruited and trained 15-person sales force. Achieved record sales increases and successfully marketed new product lines. Redesigned product demos and increased "close" ratio by 37%. Increased sales to existing clients by 122% within two years Executed slaes strategies that expanded sales from $105,000 to $2.4 million in five years Set up distribution and delivery systems that increased market penetration by 18% NECRO & CO. - Seattle, Washington 1990 - 1995 Sales Manager Coordinated startup and developed marketing, sales and telemarketing strategies. Hired, trained and motivated a sales team of eight. Increased Sales from 0 to $720,000 in just two years Education M.B.A. - Portland Sate University, Portland, Oregon 1990

The resume sample above was provided by the National Resume Writers' Association.  For more professional resume samples download a free resume template.

Action Verbs

Accelerated	Estimated	Motivated	Revamped
Accomplished	Evaluated	Operated	Revised
Achieved	Expanded	Ordered	Reviewed
Adapted	Expedited	Organized	Scheduled
Administered	Facilitated	Originated	Set up
Analyzed	Found	Participated	Simplified
Approved	Generated	Performed	Solved
Completed	Implemented	Pinpointed	Streamlined
Conceived	Improved	Planned	Structured
Conducted	Increased	Prepared	Supervised
Controlled	Influenced	Produced	Supported
Coordinated	Initiated	Proficient in	Surpassed
Created	Inspected	Programmed	Taught
Delegated	Instructed	Proposed	Trained
Demonstrated	Interpreted	Proved	Translated
Designed	Launched	Provided	Used
Developed	Lectured	Purchased	Utilized
Directed	Led	Recommended	Won
Earned	Maintained	Reduced	Wrote
Effected	Managed	Reinforced
Established	Mastered	Reorganized

Concrete nouns and positive modifiers

Ability	Competent	Proficient	Technical
Actively	Consistent	Qualified	Versatile
Capacity	Effectiveness	Resourceful	Vigorous
Competence	Pertinent	Substantially