With a little extra effort, you can discover how to make a resume that sets you apart from the competition for a job you're seeking. Believe it or not, with a well written resume, you have a better chance of getting the interview than others who are more qualified than you with a poorly written one.

A resume has one main purpose, and that is to get you the interview. If you have an interest in a position and have sent off your resume, chances are there are many other people that have done the same. Employers have to sort through many, many resumes to screen for potential applicants and so it is critical to know how to make a resume that will set yours apart from the crowd.

A resume is somewhat like an advertisement. It tells the employer, if you buy this product, this is what you will get as far as direct benefits. It needs to convince the employer that you have what it takes to be successful in this position. When a potential employer reads your resume, they should be stimulated by the contents and interested in meeting you to learn more. That is an effective resume.

It's true that much of what goes into your resume is your job history, but there are different ways of portraying this. Simply listing all your places of employment and job descriptions will be incredibly boring and unlikely to garner much interest. You need to show much more than just your job responsibilities, you need to show your accomplishments. One great way to do this is by using action words.

It is always a good idea if you can show a prospective employer how you affected the bottom line. What you did to make the company money or how you were effective in saving time (which equals money). Showing your accomplishments rather than just a boring description of your job responsibilities is much more likely to catch the reader's attention.

If your current resume is not getting you phone calls from prospective employers, you need to know how to make a resume that will get you these calls. It probably means that your resume does not stand out from the competition, and is more or less a list of employment dates and job titles. When you turn your resume into a powerful statement of what you have accomplished, then you are speaking the language that employers want to hear.

In the last 10 years, I've had to hire for quite a few positions and so I've certainly sorted through a fair share of resumes to find potential applicants to interview. Let me say that most people do a very average job when writing their resume. Which is good news because that means if you decide to learn how to make a resume better, yours will likely stand out from the competition the next time you submit it to a prospective employer.

Here are some of the things you should definitely avoid:

1. Don't make your objective boring and generic. It should be related to the position you are applying for.

2. Don't put too much information about earlier jobs if you have been working for a long time. As you keep adding new jobs, your first job or two should have limited information--just a sentence or two.

3. Don't include reference on your resume--simply state "references available on request."

4. Don't include personal information such as hobbies.

5. Don't try to hide your age by leaving off the date of your degree. It's an attempt to be deceptive and employers do notice.

6. Don't make spelling mistakes. This is worth repeating, don't make spelling mistakes!! Have someone else read it over for you.

The bottom line is that your resume needs to be well written, easy to read, and highlight what you've accomplished.