Get Your Resume in the ‘Yes’ Pile

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School is out and fresh waves of recent graduates are pounding the pavement in search of that golden job—or at least one that pays the rent. With the unemployment rate in the United States at 8.9 percent in April, there is more competition than ever. So how do you keep your resume relevant and in the “yes” pile?

Submit a Striking Resume
The first step to landing the perfect job is submitting a resume that shines. Luckily, libraries are full of books with up-to-date resume-writing advice, such as The Everything Resume Book: Create a Winning Resume That Stands Out From the Crowd by Nancy Schuman. In addition to tips for a striking resume, it includes information such as creating video resumes and using online job boards.

A resume shouldn’t simply list job descriptions in chronological order; its purpose is to highlight your most impressive successes and accomplishments. If you’re most proud of your internship at the The New York Times five years ago, put that first.

Check Out Resume Samples
Whether you’re a seasoned pro or have only held a job in college, it always helps to see samples. Check out The Only Resume and Cover Letter Book You'll Ever Need! by Richard Walsh, which consists entirely of resumes and cover letters from different industries.

A good resume starts with good writing, and using first-person pronouns is a no-no. Avoid words such as “I,” “my” and “me.” Bullets and short phrases help the essentials stand out. Be grammatically consistent: Don’t jump between verb tenses. If one sentence ends with a period, they all should.

Omit Unnecessary Details
Although experience is important, too much information can clutter the page. “It’s OK to leave things out that don’t assist you with your overall mission,” says Kaye Moore, a librarian who leads free resume-writing workshops at the San Jose Public Library in California. Omit unnecessary details such as age, religion and marital status, and stick to experience related to the job opening itself.

Many libraries offer workshops that cover everything from formatting to using online job databases. Participants learn the latest technology, as well as writing techniques to spice up their resume, such as how to describe accomplishments rather than duties.

“It’s really great to be able to quantify what you’ve done, like if you were able to increase overall database use by 15 percent,” Moore explains. “Employers like to see numbers.”

Play Up Relevant Skills
Recent grads with limited experience can play up skills they acquired writing for the school newspaper or as captain of the soccer team. But if college is a distant memory, tuck education at the bottom and feel free to omit the years. More experienced folks should have different versions of their resume that target different jobs or industries.

As much as possible, a resume should reflect the qualifications for each position. If you’re applying to a charitable foundation, for instance, highlight any past volunteer work.

“I’ve been working with a lot of engineers who haven’t updated a resume in 20 years,” Moore says. She recommends taking advantage of online services like Google Docs, which provides resume templates. That way, resumes can be uploaded, saved to desktops and edited more easily than in a standard Word document.

Present Resumes that Match the Industry
“Presentation is huge,” says Moore. “In this job climate, I don’t think it’s good to have a resume that is all left-justified.” That doesn’t necessarily mean using pink letterhead and the Macbeth font. Experiment with different templates to find one that highlights your successes, like a project-based resume that lists the most significant project first.

The style should match the job, and some risks are good. Consider the applicant for a position at a radio station who had her resume written in frosting on a giant cookie. In a creative industry, it got her the interview.

Think your resume is ready? Before hitting the “Send” key, have someone else review it. A fresh set of eyes often catches mistakes you didn’t.

When applying online, feel free to send a version via snail mail, as well. This increases the odds your name will land in someone’s hands, and not in the trash.

Sample Resume for College Graduates
From Careerbuilder.com

Sample Resume for Executives
From Careerbuilder.com

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Ten Ways to Botch Your Resume
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The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Perfect Resume
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The World's Greatest Resumes: Introducing the World's First Resume Rater
By Robert Wm. Meier

Happy About My Resume: 50 Tips for Building a Better Document to Secure a Brighter Future
By Barbara Safani

American Library Association's Getting a Job in a Tough Economy Toolkit
The Getting a Job in a Tough Economy toolkit is an interactive Web site with tips, narrative and suggested links, readings, podcasts, activities and checklists for those looking to change position, people who have been laid off, and others who are having difficulty finding the right position.