You know exactly what you want to do with your career and you’re ready to get started. You have the skills, the motivation, and the training.

But it all starts with your resume. You have a write a resume.

Those few pieces of paper are critical to you landing a job. When the resume gets the job done, you have the job. Simple as that.

Your resume is the first impression your interviewer has of you. So make it a good one.

 How to Write a Resume

First things first – you need to create a resume that is uniquely tailored to the company’s specific needs.

Your resume shouldn’t be a story narrating everything you’ve ever done. Why? Because the law firm you’re applying to probably doesn’t care about the summer you spent landscaping. It cares about your schooling and any other job you’ve had where you can apply your skills in the future.

Spend time figuring out the company’s goals, how they prioritize tasks and future goals, and what it looks for in a candidate. Then shape your resume to match this mold.

Find words that coincide with the requirements they’re looking for. If the company says it’s looking for a hardworking individual, make sure your resume has all of your skills to prove this is true. This could include words like dedicated, motivated or driven.

Give your resume a target job title. Think about it – would you read a book without a title? Probably not. A title is what draws in the reader and keeps him or her interested. Your target job title works the same way. Plus, a job title makes your resume easier found when the person searches online.

As long as you have the target job title, get rid of the job objective. Let’s be honest – an employer isn’t really worried about what you want. He or she is focused on finding the person who has what they want. And, because the first few lines are the most important part of your resume, you’ve got to grab the reader right away.

Building your Profile

Adding a performance profile can also make your resume stand out. This should be an overall outline of your ability to perform the job. And, because we’ve already discussed how to figure out what the company is looking for, this part shouldn’t be too difficult.

All you have to do is rewrite your target job title in the form of sentences. Apply your would-be objective to the job at hand. Make sure they are short, easy to read sentences. Add bullets if you can to keep the reader interested.

Then, list out your professional skills. This is an essential step to your resume’s success and it leaves a lasting impression with the recruiter. This part is fairly easy. Make sure you place your list near the top of your resume, so the interviewer can see your skills right away. This could include things like customer service, computer knowledge, phone skills, etc.

Lastly, list out the jobs that you’ve had within the last few years. While you want to provide a consistent job history, you also really want to focus on the jobs that will play a role in the job you’re applying for.