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Employers looking to fill a retail manager position will seek a candidate with experience, skills, and success in areas related to operations, employee management/training, costs control, customer relations, merchandising and marketing.  To craft a resume with impact for retail management, you have to demonstrate results. It is not enough to simply outline responsibilities you’ve held. You need to highlight specific accomplishments and/or contributions that directly impacted the success and profitability of a business.

Some specific skills or strengths to highlight on your resume that will help to demonstrate success in retail management include:

• Customer relations
  One of the more important aspects to the job of a retail manager is understanding and knowing what your customers need and want. The more you understand these requirements, the higher your chances of success in achieving customer satisfaction.

  One way to demonstrate success in this area on your resume is by indicating specific actions that led to a high-rate of repeat and referral customers.  Indicate on your resume relevant successes such as securing a 90% customer loyalty rate. Also mention if you launched initiatives such as a Loyalty Program, customer promotions, newsletters or social media campaigns (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) and what kind of outcomes they produced. These types of results help demonstrate that you know what it takes to gain a loyal following.

• Marketing and Merchandising
  Retail managers who know how to market and merchandise the store’s products can see significant growth in sales.

  Success can be demonstrated in this area in many ways. Show how you measured sales trends and inventory levels and translated this into effective merchandising strategies. Perhaps you changed the layout of the store, pushing the women’s merchandise closer to the entrance of the storefront to help draw more customers from a targeted client segment or reduce inventory for seasonal items. Or, you developed a marketing campaign that strengthened the store’s brand and focus on shoes that generated a 25% increase of sales in that department within 3 months.

• Inventory Control
  Holding inventory that does not move, being out of stock for wanted items, or losing inventory due to theft are some of the worst things that can happen in a retail environment. So show your ability to control your inventory levels.

  Did you save money by reducing inventory levels? Did you reduce out-of-stock conditions? Did you launch a theft-control program?  Quantify the results of these programs to show how you are managing the product mix in the store.

• Employee management and training
  Retail managers are not always at the front line of business, which is why one’s ability to apply effective employee management and training for other employees is critical for a retail store to operate successfully.

  Demonstrate success in this area on your resume by indicating, for instance, how a particular training program you developed increased customer service and sales levels and improved staff retention. Perhaps you provided training to employees that helped them find different ways to encourage a shopper to buy more. If a customer is shopping for a pair of jeans, the cashier and sales employees are trained to also recommend belts that go well with the jeans, resulting in additional sales.

• Awards and Recognition
  Awards and recognition for retail management are particularly common with chain stores. Highlight such recognition on your resume to support your other points.

  The best indicator is how you are ranked against your peers. Perhaps your store has a track record of being the top-grossing sales store quarter after quarter or you’ve been named “Store Manager of the Year.” These types of highlights on your resume will help demonstrate to employers your effectiveness and success in retail management.

When detailing successes and accomplishments on your resume, always incorporate information to give perspective on the relevance of your experience to the job applied for. Detail the size of the store, number of employees and departments involved to retail management. What type of customer base did you handle?

Pull all the right information together and you will have a very compelling resume.

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Whether you are putting together your resume from scratch, editing an existing version or seeking the help of a professional resume writer and giving it a final review, there are simple and quick fixes to apply to give your resume an improved quality. Remember that employers will only give a resume a brief glance so make sure you follow these rules.

1. Resume Length
   The notion of a 1-page resume is a myth, and while 1 page is appropriate for entry-level positions, most resumes are getting longer as employers are getting more candidates than before and want to see real details to be able to qualify you.
   
   I used to work with one of the best advertising copywriters in the world who would get $114,000 for a day’s work (his copy sold that much more products) and what he told me is absolutely true for resumes: your message must be compelling and simple to read. That means avoid having a 1-page resume that is dense and hard to read or a 2-page resume that does not showcase your skills.

   If you have over 10 years of experience, you should probably have a 2-page resume and it is very common for executives to have 3-page resumes.

2. Make your resume legible
   To meet the “simple to read” test, a resume needs to be balanced with quality content and offer a welcoming appearance. No one enjoys reading blocks of heavy text. Make it easy on the reader’s eyes.

   Use paragraphs for roles and responsibilities and bullets for accomplishments so they are easy to find. Use white space to help place content into consumable formats and to make your resume more inviting to read. Creating relevant headlines for the different sections of your resume and using features, such as bold and italics, to emphasize words will also help.

3. Review and revise keywords
   If you haven’t thought about incorporating keywords into your resume, it’s time to do so. More and more employers today are resorting to scanning technology to help filter the most relevant resumes for initial review. Few organizations have the time and resources to manually review each of the hundreds (perhaps, thousands) of resumes received each day. If your resume does not contain the appropriate keywords, it’s not likely that you will make the mark for consideration.

   At the same time, make sure the keywords you include are used in context and are the most relevant. For instance, there are variations to words. While you may be using a keyword that the employer is also calling out with the scanning technology, you have to ask yourself whether there is a variation that you need to consider to bolster your presence. Be careful with abbreviations screeners may not be familiar with so spell them out.

4. Check for consistency.
   A consistent format can make your resume more polished. For instance, if you lead your work experience information with the name of your former employer, followed by the title held and dates you were employed, you need to continue with that format throughout your resume. Inconsistencies can make your resume appear clumsy.

   Also watch out for the terminology and spelling of words. If you are a PR professional, you may often use the term “press release” or “news release.” Select one and stick with it throughout your resume. Also, words such as “health care” and “healthcare” are both correct, but it should be consistent on your resume.

5. Get a second pair of eyes.
   You can never go wrong with reviewing your resume another round for errors. Typos are a huge turn off for many employers. Typos leave one with a sense of lack of professionalism. Review your resume from top to bottom one additional round before submitting it. Additionally, be careful of common errors around the use of certain words such as “whether” and “weather” or “affect” and “effect” as to whether you have chosen the correct word. It’s best to get a second pair of eyes as the reviewer will have a fresh perspective and catch problem areas that you may completely glaze over given you’ve been working on it for a lengthy time.

These simple and quick fixes can make a difference between your resume making the cut, or falling into the “trash” or “delete” pile. These are simple adjustments and changes you can make to your resume to help increase its success and come across as a polished professional before you step through the doors for that face-to-face meeting.

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A sales professional’s resume needs to succinctly demonstrate achievements and results that immediately state to employers: “I can beat your goals.”

Sales is very measurable and your resume must highlight both your quantifiable accomplishments as well as certain soft skills.

There are different metrics that you can use to quantify results and demonstrate sales success on a resume to impress employers. Consider the following:

• Meet and/or Exceed Sales Quota
  Professionals in a sales position are given a quota to meet. Demonstrate on your resume your ability to meet your sales quota consistently, or even go beyond it, by providing the percentage of your achievements within the most recent years. If you have a strong track record, you will shine.

  Many sales resumes go wrong by stating such things as “grew business $250K over previous year”. Very nice, but is this good or bad, meaning how did this compare against your goal? Better to say “Delivered 121% of quota”. You may want to add “by growing business $250K over previous year” but remember that in some companies, $250K may not be considered very much.

• Your Rank Against Your Peers
  Companies want to hire top performers so demonstrate that you are one by indicating your rank: “Consistently ranked in the Top 5 out of 150 peers nationwide”. You can also put in percentages: “Ranked in Top 10%”.
• Drive New Business
  There are other ways to make your sales resume stand out and this includes your ability to drive new business and increase the customer base. Demonstrate on your resume your ability to deliver new accounts by quantifying how much new business you brought in and how this compared to others in the company. For instance, “increased client base by 45% versus a company average of 15%”.
• Strong Customer Retention and Account Penetration
  Getting a big customer is great and you show how you were able to drive greater year-over year sales by expanding the company’s presence into other areas of the account. Also highlight your strong account management skills by indicating your retention rate. Use phrases like “Increased sales at existing customers by over 15% each year and earned a 100% retention rate”. Even better if you can add what the average retention rate is for others in the company.
• Closing Rate
  Employers value sales professionals who can close deals. Again try to compare yourself against your peers by stating “Noted for 72% closing rate versus company average of 45%”.
• Awards
  If you have been ranked and awarded for your effectiveness and success on the job, include it as a highlight on your resume. It can help further support the points you make to demonstrate you are a standout sales professional.
• Training and Certifications
  Informing an employer that you have received up-to-date training or have been certified can be another impressive mark on the resume. It reinforces your personal character and shows how you continue to seek education and knowledge to improve yourself and your effectiveness in your career. Also highlight if you were selected to train others in your personal sales practices.
• Highlight Your Relationships
  If you have built loyal relationships with companies that the employer would like to get into, then make sure you stress this. This shows that you can gain an introduction to key accounts much faster than other sales reps, so don’t forget to show your experience in dealing with the type of customer or client base the employer handles. Whether your experience is with start-ups, companies that are overseas or large corporations, plug these relevant details in with your quantified results to make an even more impressive mark.

Your resume can be viewed as a direct reflection of your sales abilities. Market yourself effectively on the resume by demonstrating results in all aspects of the sales profession to show you have contributed to the success of revenue growth for your former employers.

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Once your resume is in the hands of an employer for review, you only have a few seconds to make an impression that shows you are “the candidate” for the job.

In fact, the opening of your resume is the most important real estate on the resume page and describes your brand or value proposition. If an employer can’t quickly see what you have to offer in terms of specific experience, skills, and knowledge the employer can benefit from, it is unlikely he will continue to read on.

It is common to see candidates make the mistake of waiting to highlight the most important points. The recruiter and/or HR professional going through your resume is not looking for a novel so don’t make the employer wait until the body of the resume to highlight the most critical successes of your career. Bring selling points up front and center to make an immediate positive impression.

Here are some key tips to help you in the process of crafting a killer resume opening:

• Avoid stating an “Objective.” This is the old-school resume where you indicate what you are looking for. That’s not going to work well in today’s market where there is an abundant supply of candidates for employers to select from. Replace “Objective” with “Professional Profile” or “Summary of Qualifications” to ensure content is presented in a way to show what you have to offer to the employer.
• Establish your brand or theme. To differentiate yourself from other candidates, consider what you uniquely bring to the table. In short, you are saying, “This is what I do best”. You continue this theme throughout the resume by presenting proof with supporting skills and accomplishments.
• Review the job posting for keywords. Most job postings will detail specifics on what makes a qualified candidate for the position. Work those terms as keywords into your resume opening and other sections. It will help present you as a more relevant and qualified candidate for the job.
• Offer a summary of what you can do and quantify your previous successes. Treat your resume, particularly your opening as a marketing message. Your opening should present information that provides the employer a reason to want you for the job. What are specific experiences and skills you have to offer and what successes have you achieve for others that this employer can appreciate and utilize? Your opening summarizes the qualifications you present with your work history.
• Make sure your resume opening includes these key components. Resume openings come in different styles. Some openings are bullet-points while others choose to work with a 4 to 5 line paragraph statement. Regardless of the format you choose, it should include information about: 1) years of experience in the particular field, 2) specific type of work you did in the particular type of company, organization and/or industry and 3) summary of your achievements, including certifications and awards that apply to the job.

Don’t lose out on an opportunity for an interview simply because your experiences and skills were hidden in your resume. Let the employer know what you have to offer that makes you a successful candidate for the job “up front.” Hook an employer immediately with a killer resume opening and you’ll have a much better shot at securing an interview and the job opportunity.

According to U.S. News & World Report’s article on “The 50 Best Careers of 2011,” many technology positions made it into the top 50 list of careers providing overall satisfaction. They include computer software engineers, computer support specialists, computer systems analysts, and network architects.

So how are you making yourself stand out from the crowd of other resumes that employers are reviewing?

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Finding a job in today’s market is particularly difficult. However, there are resume tips to help IT professionals get noticed.

1. Add “Technical Expertise and Certifications” at the top of your resume.
   Regardless of whether you have one year or 10 years of experience in the field, it is especially critical to effectively demonstrate technical knowledge and skills. What matters to most employers hiring an IT professional is not the years of experience you have to offer, but how current you are with today’s latest technology, applications, and if you have the technical certifications to do the job. Highlighting your “Technical Expertise and Certifications” up front on your resume will immediately inform the employer that you have what it takes to do the job.
2. Include a section on “Technical Skills.”
   This is a section that allows you to outline all the specific technical language those in the field will be familiar with to demonstrate your familiarity with subject matter expertise and the type of technology-related working environments you have been exposed to. It’s an effective and quick way to help employers see that you are relevant for the job. It also supports keyword searches for specific tools and technologies.
3. Demonstrate achievements, accomplishments and results in “Professional Experience.”
   This is where most IT Professionals go wrong in that they merely list their roles responsibilities and tasks. The problem is that hundreds of people in similar job functions can say the same thing so this does not differentiate you.

   If you are on the infrastructure side, detail the environment in terms of users, servers and locations. Then describe your performance. How do you rank against your peers in terms of productivity? Are you the ‘go-to’ person for any particular issues? Are you known for resolving issues on the first attempt?

   If you are on the applications or project management side, do not detail every project you did as they will not have the same kinds of projects. Instead, indicate the total number of initiatives you were involved in and only highlight the ones that you are most proud of. Also highlight whether you managed the full lifecycle, what tools, best practices and methodologies you used, and how good you are at working with disparate stakeholders to gather their requirements, drive consensus and ensure that what you are delivering is what they want.

   If you are new to the field, then you need to highlight the courses you took and projects you completed as part of your education.  Include the number of hours of training and the technologies that you grasped.

4. Apply relevant keywords to all parts of your resume.
   A majority of employers use scanning technology to help pull out the most relevant resumes to review, so the more keyword relevance you can offer in your resume, the greater the chance of your resume getting noticed. Carefully review the job posting on specific technical skills desired or required. Also look at other job descriptions for the same position on job boards to get a better sense of which technical skills are particularly desired. Apply those keywords in context at different sections of your resume. You want the regular HR person to understand what you have to offer as well.

The market for IT professionals is much stronger than others today and is very competitive. Use these tips to make sure your IT resume stands out.

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Making a career change is a tough decision for most people, especially if you are already mid-way or more into a career in another field. In some cases, it can feel like having to turn back time, starting at a level alongside interns or entry-level professionals with lower pay than what you already have going for you. But, it is a decision many of us go through to achieve satisfaction and balance in life and work.

This type of situation requires a different kind of resume which is skills-based instead of industry-focused. So when making a change, you need to demonstrate to the employer that you have the transferable experience and skills that will make you successful on the job.

The primary focus of your resume should not be about who you worked for and the types of responsibilities and projects you held. It may not be relevant. You need to hone in on particular experience and skills in a broader sense to show how it can apply to the new career track.

For instance, say a candidate was a successful intellectual property lawyer and now wants to make the transition to public relations. The PR employer could care less about the law practices the candidate worked at or that he was a top-earning partner at the firm. What they will care about are relevant skills he has to offer, such as writing and persuasive and effective communications.

To craft a skills-based resume, work the following tips into your resume:

• Think about what skills and strengths the employer would desire from a candidate and where you have similar skills and strengths that can be supported by your previous work. To get a better sense of what skills and strengths are important to the employer, review the job posting for information on qualifications sought. Also look at job descriptions for the position from other employers on job boards. You will receive an overall sense of the highlights. Identify the top 5-7 skills that the employer seeks.
• Top your resume with points on relevant skills. After listing your contact information at the top of your resume, create a heading section called “Summary of Qualifications.” Here you will outline the particular relevant experience and transferable skills you have to offer. This will help you make an immediate positive impression and show you are relevant.
• You should still use the reverse chronological format. But now you will focus on the transferable skills that you demonstrated as opposed to the industry and functional-specific information.
  For example, if you are moving from managing construction projects to a broader role, then some your key skills would include the ability to manage field-based crews and subcontractors, the ability to meet aggressive deadlines and budges, and the ability to ensure compliance with internal and external regulations.  These skills are relevant to a lot of jobs besides construction.

• Include other relevant information. If you took courses or volunteered for work that is relevant to your new career, that can also help you make a positive impression. It shows the employer that you have taken initiative to continue to improve yourself for the particular career and have true interest in entering this track. There may also be skills you have, but ones that were not fully used in your previous career that are worth highlighting in your resume now. For instance, are you bilingual in Spanish and English? It is worth noting if the employer’s client base happens to be multi-cultural.

In this market, many people are moving from depressed industries and the skills-based resume allows you to appeal to a much broader market. A skills-based resume is also an effective approach for those with employment gaps or who are just starting to enter the job market.

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While professionals ages 50 and over may have more knowledge and experience in the workplace, that has not helped them come out of the unemployment market any faster. In fact, statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reveal that older workers remain unemployed longer than those who are younger.

There are various reasons why an older worker faces a greater challenge securing a job in today’s market than one who is younger. It may include higher pay requirements or because employers view older workers as less competitive with outdated experience and skills.

The way your resume is crafted can quickly reveal to an employer your age or signal to an employer you are not current with today’s competitive workplace. The following are sure fire signs to an employer about your age and outdated skills and experience you may have.

• Contact Details. Every resume is complete with contact information such as your name, address and mode of communication. However, when you list a fax number (rarely will an employer contact you by fax) or email address that indicates digits that can signify a year, such as “molly55@….” it can signal to an employer that you are from the old-school. Some employers consider @aol.com emails as old school.

  TIP: Keep your contact information on your resume simple. Stick to one phone number and a professional email address that may simply be your name. Also, do not label “Phone” or “Email” on your resume; that is obvious.
  

• Education. Your education can be particularly important to an employer depending on the type of organization and position you are applying for. While you should list degree(s) obtained, do not include the year it was obtained. Simple mathematics can tell the employer how old you are.

  TIP: Include the degree you obtained for a particular study, institution attended and the city and state of the institution. Leave out the date of attendance and when you obtained your degree. That information can be supplied to an employer if it is needed later on. Also keep in mind, your education becomes less of a highlight on the resume for most employers when you have five or more professional year of experience in the particular field. This should be on the lower part of your resume.

• Experience. Having 30+ years of experience in the workforce can be valuable and impressive to an employer, but it can also come off negatively on your resume if the information is not presented and laid out effectively. Most employers focus on the most recent five years of experience so if you have experience that dates back to 20 years ago, it may do you more harm than good, especially if it is irrelevant to the position you are applying for. An employer does not need to know you worked at McDonald’s 20 years ago as a cashier if you are applying for a job related to business development in pharmaceuticals or an entirely different field.

  TIP: Even if you have over 25 years of experience, just summarize that as “Over 15 years”. Focus on the most recent 5 to 10 years of work experience particularly relevant to the job you are applying for. If you have other experience that is relevant past that time, include it to a separate category you can call “Other Experiences” on your resume where you can summarize the experience without giving dates.

• Technical Skills. Technical skills should be specific to the field, such as unique programs and applications for the profession. Listing programs such as Word, Excel or PowerPoint will not impress employers; these have become standard programs in most workplaces where employers expect employees to know them – and to use them well. Do not list skills that are outdated; listing dBase3 immediately shows your age.

  TIP: Do not include a section on technical skills to your resume unless it is unique to the field, such as a graphic design program for designers or SAP for accounting and finance. Also if you do list any technical skills, help the employer understand how adept you are by highlighting what you have done and achieved with it.

A resume shouting out your age or years of experience is not going to help you secure a job in today’s market. You need a resume that demonstrates you are effective and have achieved results in “recent years” that can be applied to the position you are applying for. Demonstrate to employers that you are current, up-to-date with today’s approaches and a candidate that can achieve results by demonstrating accomplishments from recent employment. Remember, the “outcomes” are what matter most at the end of the day.

Long gone are the days where employers review all resume submissions manually. And even if there are still a few who are doing that, their eyes are quickly scanning over your resume for keywords that align with their view of the position.

A majority of today’s employers rely on scanning technology to go through the enormous volume of resumes that come in to their offices for each open position. It is a process similar to how websites and search engines operate. If your resume contains the right keywords and is “keyword rich” according to what the employer enters for the scanning technology, your resume has a greater chance of getting to the top of the stack for review.

So, regardless of how qualified you may be for the position, your chance at an interview will likely be missed if the scanning technology or human eye does not see keywords that tell them you are relevant for the job.

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There are simple ways to figure out what keywords should go on your resume.

1. Review the job posting. The job posting typically tells you the title or position, specific experiences, skills and education desired or required of a candidate. Highlight all these keywords and work them into your resume in context.
2. Job description. Conduct searches on career or job board websites for job descriptions of the position you are applying for. You will notice common keywords coming from each of the job descriptions that you can also use in context for your resume.
3. Company/Organization website. Review its website. You will notice there are field or industry specific terms that are commonly used that should also be applied to your resume in context.

If you are applying for a job as an experienced professional in the same field, your resume may very likely already contain a few of the appropriate keywords. Your relevant experience and the professional lingo you have come to know has helped you apply it to your resume when describing your previous work experiences, but make sure you take the opportunity to optimize every section of your resume with keywords. Consider the following:

• Positions/Titles. Employers are searching resumes that contain a matching title for the open position or a level below the position to secure candidates with the relevant experience and skills. Whether you are applying for an “Administrative Assistant,” “Marketing Manager” or “Software Engineer” position, detail your previous experience with relevant titles you have held. If you happen to have a title that is unique or a less commonly known term, change it to reflect the common term employers will understand and that is the functional equivalent to the position you held.
• Previous experiences and technical skills. While detailing specific achievements and accomplishment with each of your previous positions, include keywords that relate to skills or programs that the employer desires. Employers want to know that you are familiar with certain methods, approaches and programs that are critical to the success of the position.
• Education/Training. Certain employers seek candidates that come from specific institutions, earned a specific degree or studied in a particular field. Utilize the “Education” section of your resume to plug in the appropriate keywords. It’s also helpful to include specific certifications you have received from training.
• Summary of Qualifications. This is a category typically found at the top of resumes to indicate to employers what you have to offer and how you have the experience and skills to qualify for the position. Others may prefer to use “Areas of Expertise” or “Professional Profile.” Whatever you choose, it is a section on your resume that provides the opportunity to include important keywords within context. Play with words to include different variations or terms, such as “sales,” “business development,” “strategic alliances,” “channel development,” “regional expansion,” and “market development”. Also use common acronyms as well as the full description, for instance “PR” for “public relations” or “M&A” for “mergers and acquisition.”

The more often keywords in your resume match with the requirements of the scanning technology, the greater the chance your resume will be reviewed and considered. Keywords may also be ranked. So even if you have a lot of matches, it does not replace the value placed against higher-ranked keywords. Make sure you give this the focus that is needed to get to the top of the stack. Thoroughly review the keywords that need to be included in your resume before applying for the job.

Also, keep in mind that after the resume is scanned and selected with technology, it goes through a review by the human eye. You don’t want to pack your resume with keywords to the point that your sentences do not make sense or effectively demonstrate your qualification for the job. Keep the use of keywords in context. Good writing and overall presentation still counts in making a solid first impression.

Your resume is the most important document to advance your career. And given that employers will only scan it for 15-20 seconds, you need to make sure you scream “Here’s what I can do for you!”

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There’s a difference between a resume that only showcases your personality and characteristics and one that demonstrates specific achievements and accomplishments. Unfortunately, too many resumes are filled with fluff statements that anyone can say and they don’t really distinguish you as a top candidate.

A resume filled with terms such as “visionary (how many of these do you really know?), “motivated,” “team player,” “problem solver,” “results-oriented,” “dynamic” and many other phrases are examples of overused words.

To avoid creating a resume complete with fluff, try to turn to marketable facts:

1. Don’t rely on terms that describe character.
   Replace the use of terms that describe character with specific content to demonstrate how you accomplished or achieved something. Shed some light on your method of execution. For instance, to show you were “results-oriented,” indicate on your resume how you increased sales in your department by XX percent within a year or increased the number of attendees to an annual conference by XX percent compared to previous years. If you don’t actually have numbers, you can approximate percentages: “Introduced new procedures that slashed cycle times approximately 20%.”
2. Use numbers and symbols.
   Numbers and symbols quickly jump out at employers so use them whenever you can.  Resumes have their own special rules and I always show all numbers as digits as they catch the eye. Percentages are always best as they show the impact of your efforts.  For example, saying “Increased sales $750K over prior year” is nice but to some companies that is petty cash and your company might not like your giving out their private information; better to say “Increased sales 43% over prior year.” Simply avoid words that don’t define, such as “many,” “few” and “several.”
3. Don’t list responsibilities of your previous jobs, demonstrate outcomes.
   The problem with writing responsibilities you held on the job is that it doesn’t tell an employer how successful you were at executing your plans. An employer only cares about how good you did your job and how what you did can apply to the job they are offering. Rather than list responsibilities, demonstrate your performance.

   Are you the most senior member of your team?  Do people turn to you for the more challenging issues? Is your productivity level higher than your peers? Do you resolve issues on the first call versus others needing 2-3 calls? Is your level of accuracy and the quality of your work at the highest level? Have you demonstrated the ability to meet aggressive deadlines? Statements like “consistently recognized for delivering quality results at less cost than budgeted” showcases your effectiveness even when you don’t have the actual numbers.

4. Only detail specialized technical skills.
   Today’s employers expect candidates to know basic computing skills and programs, so only list specialized technical skills that are relevant for the job. An employer does not need to see that you know programs such as Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint. Also, when you do list any technical skill, tell an employer how well you know the specific program by detailing what you may have created or did with it. Simply listing a specific program will not help an employer understand how well you know it or what your capabilities are.

Fill your resume with performance statements instead of fluff and you will see a dramatic improvement in your job search results.

Fortunately, one’s career and life success is not based solely on obtaining a college degree. Just look at the rise of Bill Gates of Microsoft, Michael Dell of Dell, and in more recent days, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook. These high profile and successful businessmen chose to pursue business over completing a college education. That decision hardly stopped them from succeeding.

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But, just because these individuals have succeeded in leading prosperous careers for themselves without first obtaining a college degree, can you do the same? Many candidates fear employers will pass on their resume for other candidates with a college education. Certainly, there are employers that require their employees to have a college education and degree to qualify for the job, but there are also employers who could care less about your education or degree obtained. The fact that one earned his stripes from an Ivy League institution does not place him in higher favor at many organizations. Some employers are more interested in a candidate’s character and professional experiences to determine qualification and the best placement for the job.

A college degree becomes less of a highlight on resumes when you have five or more professional years of experience to show. In such instances, even for a candidate with a college degree the education portion of the resume is shifted down to the bottom of the page or entirely eliminated.

So, don’t worry so much about what you don’t have and focus on highlighting what you do have to offer on your resume.

• Place Your Work History before Education. Employers want to know that you are effective and can do the job, and the best way to do that is to demonstrate particular accomplishments and achievements in previous jobs. By making the right impression at the start of your resume and showing how you qualify for the job by the time an employer gets to the education section of your resume, they may be able to overlook any shortcomings. Or, they may be so impressed to not even take note of what you indicate in the education section.
• Add Professional Development. This is an opportunity to showcase self-initiative – and is a category on your resume that can help downplay the fact that you did not obtain a degree. For instance, it is especially critical in the IT sector for professionals to be up-to-date on new developments happening in the field. Professionals also need to be trained on new developments in technical infrastructure and obtain or renew certifications. Showcasing your participation in training, such as courses, seminars and conferences will demonstrate to an employer that you have the know-how needed to do the job applied for. This provides greater value to certain employers than seeing that a candidate has obtained a college degree alone.
• Include Partially Completed Education. If you are in the process of completing your degree or you took courses in the past, make sure you indicate that on the resume which will help you in keyword searches.
• Send your resume to the Decision Maker, not HR. If you have over 10 years of work experience, the decision maker will probably not care about a diploma from a long time ago.  However, the human resources manager probably will as they attempt to screen out all but the most perfect fits for a job. So do not send your resume over the web – better to send it to the decision maker directly.  See Reviewing The Best Job Search Techniques

Clearly, there are certain career paths where you need to obtain a degree in order to make it your profession – such as being a lawyer, a doctor, a CPA or a teacher. In many instances, however, one’s life and career success is based more on experience than education alone.