With the growing number of professional individuals now faced with the reality of a slowing economy and "Workforce Reduction," the stakes become even higher on how to position yourself among a growing candidate pool and fewer position openings. Although networking is key to success, at some point you will be faced with the fact of needing a professional resume.

Having recruited for start-up to global Fortune 500 technology companies for the past 6 years, your resume is your marketing piece that gets you noticed with a goal of moving you forward to exploratory discussions and onsite interview(s). There are several formats that I prefer and have shared with my candidates through the years but here are some simple guidelines for you to follow. Most importantly, focus your time and efforts on identifying positions in which you are qualified and bring current relative experience.

1) Select a customized format that is not a basic template. Your resume should include the use of several fonts, bullet point items, possibly an area that is highlighted in light gray or a text box depending on level of position (most often times used for senior management or technical positions).

2). You must capture your achievements and background experience as it relates to the position opportunity within the first half of the page. Remember, a company is initially looking at how you meet their requirements not how they meet yours. Let me give you an example: if a company is looking for a Senior Account Manager with 10+ years of enterprise software sales experience, your heading and opening paragraph should include a "highly motivated enterprise sales professional who brings 15 years of technology sales experience to include software, hardware, storage, and network products." The all cap heading underneath contact information would include: Senior Software Enterprise Sales Professional.

3). Contact Information. Your Header needs to include your: name, address, phone number and email address. I recommend the font used for the name be different in size and style. All headings throughout resume should reflect the same font and most often times placed in "bold." Example: Professional Experience:

4) Content. For some individuals, a career spans 10-20 years. A resume should be limited to two pages, keeping in mind that the most recent experience needs to address sales achievements if the position is in fact a sales position. Make certain you either copy and paste your name as it appears on the first page to the second page or include a footer with contact information. If using bullet points throughout resume, check for consistency in size and that they line up throughout entire document.

5. Education/Other. Be certain to include not only the college and program major but the year you received the degree for verification purposes.

6. References. If you are certain that all references will result in positive feedback, I recommend my candidates include "Excellent References Available Upon Request."

This article is intended to assist you in formatting your resume for success. Should you determine that your resume is best left to experts in the field, individual resume consulting is available through our firm.  You can visit us: www.questexecsearch.com