(P) ROVE your value to the hiring manager. Start by taking an inventory of all of your life’s accomplishments. This is the “let me show you what I can do” phase. Include all relevant topics:

• Education (degrees earned or classes taken)
• Work Experience
• Volunteer Experience
• Foreign Languages
• Hobbies (if they relate to the job)
• Computer Skills
• Specialized Equipment
• Overseas Experiences
• Honors / Achievements / Awards / Scholarships

(O) RGANIZE the proof so that your resume is easy on the eyes. I don’t know about you, but when I visit a website and encounter all kinds of links, photos, text and flash, I’m not sure what to focus on first. Usually I get confused, then I lose interest. As Jerry Maguire told Rod Tidwell, “Rod, help me help you!” Make discovering your value as easy as possible on the hiring manager. Decide which resume format best suits your background and then organize your information accordingly.

(P) OLISH both the content and layout. Sentences should be short, sweet and filled with descriptive words. Make sure you’ve sprinkled “key words” (words that appear in the job posting) throughout. Proofread your resume by using automated spell & grammar checks. Additionally, print out a few hard copies and give to trusted friends for their review. Quantify your accomplishments using numbers. Qualify your experience using examples. Brighten the resume’s presentation using bold, italics, underline, borders and shading for headings and key words. And always, always print your resume on professional resume paper.

The truth of the matter is, you can spend hours upon hours sending out resumes to various companies, but if your resume is poorly written and poorly formatted, all of your time will have been wasted. Your resume must POP in order to capture the attention of a hiring manager.

Okay job seekers, let’s board that train to the job of our dreams. WE CAN DO THIS!