A good card player knows that the key to winning is not only having the best cards, but also playing them in the right order.

Your resume should be thought of in the same way. It should be good, but it won't get you the job all by itself. More on that later.

Assuming that you know what kind of job you are aiming for, the first step in writing a resume should be a careful self-examination of your personality, interests, work/life values, and skills. Let the resume reflect who you are, not just what you want to do.

Once this has been done, your resume should be written with the employer in mind. This means that your resume should be fluid - changing slightly to reflect the qualifications of each job description. Companies like to measure performance, so be sure to include facts like "managed a team of 20" or "responsible for $4M budget." Regarding length, one-page resumes tell very little about a person, but anything more than three pages runs the risk of going unread.

Your resume must sell the reader in the first half of the first page. Under your name and contact information, include a heading such as, "Accomplishments," "Skills Summary," or "Qualifications." Pick out five to seven of your best accomplishments and state them in bullet form. Bullets make for much easier reading.

What about the objective? I believe that a resume should not have an objective unless you have spoken directly to a hiring manager who is then expecting your resume. Again, think of the employer's perspective. If you submit your resume for a Software Engineer position but your objective says, "seeking a Senior Software Engineer position," companies may assume you are overqualified. If they think you will be bored with the position, they won't even bother to read the rest of the resume. Furthermore, a company may have a different role that you are unaware of, but actually are better qualified for. If your objective commits you to only one role, don't be surprised if your resume gets tossed aside.

However, the best recommendation I can give to my clients regarding resumes is to NEVER send them out. At least, not until they have already spoken to the decision-maker (not the gatekeeper) and s/he is expecting it. This is the winning way to play your cards!

I will cover specific tactics on reaching decision-makers in the next newsletter.

Lori Dernavich, President of Step Ahead Consulting, provides career counseling for individuals and works with companies to develop workforce growth and retention strategies. 781-449-0564 or lori@stepaheadconsulting.com.