A resume is a written presentation specifically targeted toward landing the job you want. It should reflect the experience and skills you have which are relevant to the job you seek. A resume shouldn't look like a laundry list of job titles and duties. Remember, it's an overview of what you offer as an employee, not an autobiography.

Here are a just a few tips for resume writing:

Be clear, direct, effective and professional. Make your resume easy to read.

Use bullet statements to facilitate skimming. Avoid long paragraphs and large blocks of text.

Try to keep it to 1 or 2 pages. If you have less than 10 years of experience, a single-page resume is a good rule-of-thumb. You should be able to skim your resume in 25-30 seconds.

Determine a format and stick with it through the resume i.e., ensure section headings have the same placement and font treatment throughout the resume.

Put dates next to the right hand margins.

Information about your most recent job may use current or past tense depending on your current status, only use past tense to describe previous accomplishments, since they are completed actions.

Accurately use up-to-date terminology relevant to the industry you have targeted.

Spell out terms. Avoid abbreviations and acronyms.

Identifying information should be listed on the first page in a balanced, organized layout, including:
- Name (should stand out, i.e., bold, all capital letters etc.)
- Street Address
- City / State / Zip Code
- Home, Mobile and/or Cell Phone (include 10 digit telephone numbers with area code)
- Work Phone
- Email address (include personal not work)

If your resume is more than a single page, be sure to place name and page number in upper right hand corner of the second page.

More resources for job seekers may be found at CareerBuilder.com.