Column: Job Hunters Need Updated Resumes

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Your goal should be making your resume stand out from the hundreds of other resumes that employers receive.

It used to be that a resume which is a brief, written summary of an individual's education, work and accomplishments started with a "statement of purpose," something akin to "I'm seeking a challenging position that offers professional growth." But that doesn't make the jobseeker distinctive from the competition.

"You really need to highlight your last five years of experience and concrete accomplishments," said John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of the Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. outplacement firm in Chicago. "That's what makes you stand out."

Challenger said, for example, that "saying you are a marketing executive with experience in brand management" doesn't make you stand out because most market executives have those skills. But "saying that you are a marketing executive who developed the concept and designed the materials for an advertising campaign for a new brand" reveals much more, he said.

Job applicants also have to realize that they're applying to work for very busy people, so they have to keep the key items in their resumes brief and to the point, he added.

It should go without saying that all resumes have some things in common:

They're attractive to look at, whether mailed or e-mailed

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