The following article was published in the Singapore local newspaper, under Straits Times Recruits:

Resume makeover

Your resume is the first point of contact with a prospective employer, so make sure it gives a good first impression.

Do you know that a typical executive job advertisement in Saturday's The Straits Times Recruit page can easily attract an average of over 100 job applications? How would you like to stand out among the crowd and be selected for the interview?

As a former senior human resource professional of a large and well-established organisation, I have had the opportunity to vet thousands of resumes and sat in on several recruitment interviews. What became obvious was that those outstanding resumes usually get the attention of the HR manager faster, putting them ahead of the other applications in getting an interview and, of course, the job offer.

But what makes a resume outstanding?

Basically, it answers the following questions, which most resumes do not:

· Why should we hire you?

· What can you value-add to our organisation?

· How can you best contribute to our company?

Here are some additional tips which you may wish to consider before you submit another resume:

· Start your resume with a summary of qualifications, which consist of three to five statements of your career experience. Unless you are a fresh graduate or intend to switch careers, it is not appropriate to start your resume with an objective. I have observed that many executives, including senior management tend to overlook this, and miss out on the opportunity to highlight their best attributes right upfront, for example, stating you have over 15 years of product marketing experience.

· List your professional strengths next. Don't just give general statements but use keywords or buzzwords that companies and recruiters need to see, for example, 'marketing management', 'cost controls', and 'product training'.

· Highlight your achievements. Be clear and specific about what you have accomplished under different job positions or titles. Don’t just state your job duties and responsibilities but go a step further to show the impact or results of what you have accomplished for the organisation. Wherever possible, quantify your achievements, for instance, 'increased sales turnover by 80 per cent through new product launch and innovative pricing strategies'.

· Having written your job responsibilities and achievements, you should then present your educational qualifications and training. The most common practice is to state the degree earned, name of university and year of graduation. Be true to what you say. For example, if you completed a three-year course but did not graduate, do not say that you have gotten the qualification.

· Put some effort to make sure the overall layout or presentation of your resume is appealing visually. Format your resume well. Choose the correct font size and layout to avoid too much white space. Also, avoid cramming too much on one page. The overall effect should be that your resume projects a touch of class and professionalism.

· Do remember that your resume ought to be a 'marketing masterpiece' and not just a collection of past histories. Your resume is the first point of contact that determines if you should be granted an interview. It is therefore important to put your best efforts into creating a good first impression.

Article contributed by Resume Asia, a premier resume writing and HR consulting firm in Singapore.