For many soon-to-be college graduates, the time is coming to put together your resume. This can sometimes be a daunting task. So whether you're using LinkedIN as your resume source or putting together an old-fashioned paper one, here are some tips to help make your resume stand out.

1. Make it easy for hiring managers to analyze your resume use a simple format with short sentences and bullet points. For example:

X Company 3/2009 - 11/2009 Location

Area Sales Manager for X Territory

• Provided all accounts with X products. Maintained orders and stocked levels for all accounts.
• Sold new products as they came into the market by utilizing open communication with all accounts providing the best service possible.
• Sold, ordered, merchandised and maintained cleanliness of product with every account.
• Planogram resets, POS place meant, fixture installation and adjustment as well as cold called new accounts in order to increase sales within the territory.

2. All information needs to be factual, save the subjective info for interviewing (such as "great team player" or "quick learner"). This saves your time, and we want to give you the chance to sell yourself in person. After all, facts about your work history are what the employers are seeking.

3. Highlight or bold key qualifications that need to standout (certifications, skills, etc....). This is important…we want to know all your great accomplishments, and we want to be able to see them quickly. However, stick to ones that are close to the area your applying for.

4. We recommend always including references at the end of your resume. Thought and consideration of your current employment situation will help determine references and should include former or current supervisors, co-workers, and/or other relevant industry professionals. All references should be contacted by you for their approval and understanding of confidentiality. A brief description of your relationship to the reference in addition to contact information if also helpful.

Hope this helps! Feel free to contact us if you have any additional questions! Happy writing!

Picture this scenario: You have just accepted a job offer from a company and find yourself walking into work on Monday with resignation letter in hand and butterflies in your stomach.

Upon arrival, you schedule a meeting with your supervisor. To your surprise, the meeting goes surprisingly well, you announce your intentions and the manager is very supportive and understanding, he even wishes you the best of luck! What a relief, right? Then out of nowhere the manager and his boss, a VP, swing by your office in the afternoon and present you with a lucrative counter-offer. Then confusion sets in. What do you do? How could you not accept a 20% raise?

Yes, that is an option, but let me provide you some "food for thought" with three perspectives on counter-offers.

First, consider the general principle of the matter. What was it that drove you to seek out a new position? Obliviously you were dissatisfied with something or you would have not shot out the ole' resume. Were you not being treated well? Is the culture or work environment toxic? Did you desire a new responsibility/position? If the answer is yes, then no increase in salary will change these problems.

Second, if money was the primary driver, then why now are they suddenly opening up the pocketbook and giving you that big pay raise? Before you had another offer you weren't worth the money and now you are? What has changed since then? Possibly leverage? Remember, good quality companies don't
wait to reward an employee until they are about to lose them. At quality companies, pay raises are the result of hard work, not threats to leave.

Let's say that you do accept this counter offer with a 20% raise, what do you think your raise will be at the upcoming review? Absolutely correct...nada!!! This was your raise, it just came early!!! Do you know what also came with this raise? A special reserved spot at the front of the downsizing line the next time sales drop. You say how can this be……they just told me how much my work was valued? It is valued, until they need to chop out the highly paid employees in order to keep their own jobs.

When a downsizing occurs, you have two strikes against you: Disloyalty and price. Accepting more money simply means that you can be bought. Others in the office will take note and remember.

Thirdly, in order to accept a counter-offer, you have to call up the company that you just accepted an offer from and explain to them that your word is no longer any good. Isn't this a more gut-wrenching experience than resigning? There is no good advice on how to do this, because no matter how it is done, a bridge will be burned and if you work in a small industry, the word will get out on what happened.

Fast-forward ahead to that time you are downsized, wouldn't it be nice to have the option of reopening discussions, but oh if only I hadn't closed that door. What if that hiring manager now works for another company? Well, cross them off the list too.

The truth of accepting counter-offers is that your risk is maximized, your reputation is soiled, and your reward is limited.

Thoughts?

Some excellent advice on how the words you use in your resume matter.

Final Cut: Words to Strike from Your Resume