Prepare Your Resume by Interviewing Yourself

When it comes time to craft your resume, putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard is old news. Consider a more contemporary approach to resume writing: Interview yourself to dig deeper, capture your true potential and convince the hiring manager that you're the best candidate for the job.

Uncover Your Greatest Accomplishments

Don't just fill your resume with job titles you've held and duties for which you were responsible, as this doesn't set you apart from any other candidate who has held the same title. Instead, ask yourself about your greatest accomplishments in each position, and include them on your resume. Strive for two to three accomplishments per position for jobs within the last five years, including your current post. For older positions, one significant accomplishment is sufficient.

Demonstrate Your Ability to Be a Team Player

It's also important for the hiring manager to recognize your ability to collaborate with coworkers. Ask yourself about significant achievements as a leader or part of a team. Include at least one bullet from your current position.

Make Use of Powerful Statements

Make sure your resume isn't too wordy. Rather than including long, detailed sentences or paragraphs, opt for powerful statements that are short and to the point. Ask yourself what challenge you faced and what action you took, and provide the result. This simple three-bullet approach packs a punch with hiring managers.

Incorporate Action Verbs

Action verbs help you describe your accomplishments while still maintaining short bullets. When describing your achievements, begin each bullet with an action verb. For example, tell how you "implemented and maintained a mentor program to help new recruits become more accustomed to the work environment and job duties."

Update Your Online Profiles

Once you've completed your resume based on your self-interview, translate your accomplishments to your online job search profiles. LinkedIn lets you create a longer accomplishments section, so provide more detail there to spice up your profile.

Polish Your Interviewing Skills

As you question yourself to develop your resume, take the opportunity to brush up on your skills for the actual interview. If possible, use a video camera to record yourself as you respond to the specific questions. Watch for behaviors such as fidgeting that may be distracting to an interviewer. Pay attention to your posture, and listen for filler words, including "uh," "um" and "like."

Rather than sitting in front of a computer monitor to write your resume, start in front of the mirror or even a video camera. Interview yourself to resurrect the most impressive accomplishments to draw in the hiring manager and land the job of your dreams. Use your responses to craft a resume that the human resources reps can't help but notice.

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