"The young man knows the rules,

but the old man knows the exceptions."

- Oliver Wendell Holmes

First, get it out of your heads that there are RULES… You can show ten people your resume: some will hire you, others will throw it in the garbage, others will have no opinion at all. This is a fact. You don’t know who will look at your documents or whose they saw before yours. No matter what you have learned before, unlearn it. Ok? Ok!

Of course, there are common sense items that need to be applied: no mistakes, no grammar errors, spell check is NOT enough. Using adjectives like hard-working or team player makes Hiring Managers yawn. Use a Thesaurus and get specific: diligent, fortuitous, tenacious, patient. If you say you are a Leader, what kind are you? Level-headed, no-nonsense, consensus-building, forward-thinking? The English language has 500,000 words in it, more than any other language on the planet. Use it! It is a beautiful thing. Show your personality; write at least one thing that really stands out!

Here are TEN SUGGESTIONS about some trends that you also might want to pay attention to.

• The first third or half of the document needs to have the most relevant information. You are trying to get people to “peek over the wall”. They have seen page after page after page of information, they are tired, they know how expensive it is to hire someone who is not a good fit, and they are, frankly, shocked at poorly written, murkily expressed resumes.

• Up to five bullet points per job. If you can’t express what you did in five bullet points, you might come across as either verbose or not succinct. And, the human brain generally shuts off after five bullet points, so keep that in mind, too. Include at least one really juicy specific measurable result per job (SMR).

• Be consistent. Absolutely, positively, one hundred percent consistent. All points, periods, dashes, italics, spacing, etc need to be the SAME at every line of the document. Perfection in writing is possible. This is a science. No, really.

• Eleven point is small enough. For the main document, use the eleven point size. For additional documents, you can get away with 10 point, depending on the font.

• One page, two pages, three pages, four pages? More? I have a six page CV Package: Bio, Introduction Letter, Two-Page Resume, Extra Page, and References- Testimonials Page… I sometimes add a one sheet or the 60-Second Commercial for my company. Sometimes I send only the Bio and Extra Page.

• Have different resumes and intro letters already done. TWEAK away! You need to spend the time to post your info. It is NOT a waste of time.

• Do NOT make the person reading the document look for information. If it is not clearly formatted, no matter how awesome you are, it will not fly.

• Uncle Joe may be a good writer, but can he write a good resume or intro letter for you? This is word-crafting at its best... and perhaps the most challenging.

• Try not to get lost in the jargon. Of course KEY WORDS are, well, key. Also, knowing the "right" combination of conventional, unconventional and guerilla approaches is vital. Where is your personality and approach to life, work, or leadership within your documents?

• READ the job description carefully - there are GEMS of information between the lines.

Examples of what the first paragraph of a resume can look like... You can also use this information in an intro letter. Again, there are no RULES, but this might help inspire good writing and expressing not only the facts of you, but also the personality of you!

Overview: A 25-year veteran of the business development arena, Jane’s career began in Sales and Service and grew into Leadership, Training and Analysis for local and global outreach and development projects. Her ability to bring diverse Teams together into focused, effective forward momentum is what makes her unique. Passionate about driving the business community forward, innovation and the art of connecting, she brings a patient tenacity and a knack for high-performance management, accountability and positive outcomes to her work.

PROFILE: Industrial Technology Specialist, Senior Manufacturing Engineer and Project Manager with over 17 years of professional local and global experience in process and quality improvement, advanced supplier development engineering, reliability testing, and equipment assessment, procurement and maintenance. With a keen sense of detail, takes initiative to produce specific measurable results, while effectively managing diverse teams and handling day-to-day operations with tenacity, a hands-on management style and the unique ability to stay on target, on time and within budgets.

OVERVIEW: Program Manager driven to exceed customer expectations and organizational goals through high-caliber leadership and well-executed planning. Committed to reduce costs, eliminate process inefficiency and add value through effective resource utilization and continuous improvement. Joe has the ability to ‘see the dirt in the corner’, every time.

Team Leader / Creative Problem Solver / Follow Through to Completion / Proactive / Detailed / Tenacious / On Time, On Target, Within Budget

Summary: Leader, Business Developer, Non-Profit Coordinator, Engineer and Program Manager with a record of successful leadership and project deployment in multiple industries including automotive, aerospace, software IT and non-profit. Accomplished and experienced in facilitating diverse teams for local and global development projects. Primary competencies in strong team building and motivation through mentoring, clear communication, and ability to establish relationships and communicate upwards, sideways and downwards throughout the organization. Jane has a solid reputation for handling new and complex arenas; while keeping a keen eye on the details, her approach remains clear and forward-thinking.

SUMMARY: A 27-year veteran in the Enterprise Architecture, IT, Technology, Leadership, Project Management and Business Analysis arena as Chief Technology Officer, Director of Global Web Architecture and IT Planning, Senior / Executive Program Manager, and IT and Technology Expert, Strategist, Implementer, and Author. Has extensive local and global background and expertise in Risk Management, Change Management, and Financials, as well as Resources Strategies, Investment, and Cost Reductions. High-caliber negotiator, influencer, leader, and manager of complexities among people, projects, programs, and planning.

And here is mine: notice the pop of personality at the last sentence!

Profile: A 26-year veteran of the Global Relations, Leadership, Business, Career and Life Coaching and Training arena, Adjunct Professor, and Small Business Entrepreneur with extensive academic and business experience in Asia, Europe and North America. Michele brings a knack for operations, management, problem-solutions, efficiency, leadership, communication, behavior change and a forward-momentum attitude to any personal and professional endeavor. And, she is an extraordinarily effective Entrepreneur, Coach, Trainer, Leader, Manager, Developer, and Public Speaker. Michele has the tenacity of an Olympic athlete, and the patience of a saint.