Tips for Your R-E-S-U-M-E

Plenty of experts, pundits and hiring managers offer job search advice, resume tips and interview suggestions. One handy mnemonic device combines an acronym with a classic soul song from the 1960s.

Dallas Employment Services, Inc. out of Texas uses the acronym R-E-S-U-M-E to disseminate its resume tips, and the spelling goes along the same vein as Aretha Franklin's classic song "Respect." Each letter in the word "resume" stands for a relevant piece of advice on how to construct your job search document properly.

R for Read Over

Thoroughly read over your resume for misspellings, grammar issues, correct fonts and line spacing to ensure your resume has a tidy, compact appearance. Run your document through a spell-checker, grammar checker and someone who has a good handle on written English. These resume tips help ensure your document looks and reads like a sharp, polished document.

E for Eliminate Words

Your resume should remain succinct and clear of any unnecessary words. Take out "objective" and "references upon request" since those are standard procedures. Avoid generalities that can apply to anyone, such as "strong work ethic," "prompt" and "detail-oriented." Specify your skills, education and accomplishments based on your past performance.

S for Short and Sweet

These resume tips revolve around shortening terms to save space on the page. For instance, use numerals instead of spelling out numbers. Another tip to try is compacting multiple nouns into one catchall phrase. Instead of "students, parents and teachers," use the term "school community."

U for Utilize Resources and Be Unique

Send your resume to colleagues within the industry to see what they think. Ask co-workers if the document stands out enough to get noticed. Have your friends and relatives look it over, and consider their input as well. Take into account the suggestions, and compare the ideas to industry standards.

M for Matching Your Skills to the Position

Tailor your resume to the job at hand. Examine the job description, and include keywords from the posting that match your education, skills and background. Other resume tips include mentioning any personal connections you may have with your prospective employer, and highlight building relationships as a skill. Go to the company website to view the mission statement, and include verbiage from that document in your resume.

E for Easy to Read

Make your fonts very readable with enough room between letters, words and sections. White areas on the page should appear evenly spaced. Print out a copy, read it and ask yourself, "Does this look good to me?" If anything seems amiss, go in and make changes before you click Send.

These resume tips help sharpen your document's focus to rely on the meat of your previous work experiences. Use your cover letter as a personal introduction that lets your personality shine through the employment dates, skill sets and educational background.

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