An employer who puts out an ad for a job opening in his company may receive several resumes from applicants, but only a small percentage of these stands out as worthy of the employer’s notice. This just indicates that either the applicants are careless in the preparation of their resumes, or they may not really know how to go about making resumes acceptable to a discerning employer.

If you are a job applicant, endeavor to create a winning resume accompanied by an equally outstanding cover letter, to increase your chances of getting the job. In these days of the Internet this is not difficult to do as there are many sites online offering advice and tips on resume writing that you can just tap for help.

A proven technique to follow is that you have to write a convincing cover letter first as the lead document of the many papers you submit with your job application. Having this attractive cover letter would ensure that you will be among the first applicants to be noticed by the employer and likely to get an invitation for a job interview.

Then, follow resume guidelines provided below in order to create an interview winning resume that is way ahead of the other applicants.

1. Formatting and feel of a resume is a top characteristic that can attract the attention of a prospective employer. Your resume, at first glance, can impress or depress the employer, depending on how you have prepared it.

A resume, well crafted with lots of open space, a clear, easy-to-read font such as 12 point Arial, and easy-to-find and skim information, would likely entice the employer to read on. With electronic publishing very much a part of the business world now, see to it that you print you resume on high quality paper.

Some job applicants are careless in using their current employers’ office envelope, not conscious that this may offend the one hiring in the advertised job.

2. See to it that your resume has no errors like incorrect spelling, inappropriate grammar, no missing words, and no typing mistakes to make your resume an employer-pleaser when he goes over it.

An error-free resume is rare, but you can always do your best to edit your work thoroughly. Remember that some hiring managers will not further consider your candidacy if they find even one mistake.

Every mistake will make the hiring manager think you are the careless type and he may not want to have anything to do with you, so your application can end up in the rejected bin.

3. Contact Information is another indispensable item in your resume. In these years of instant messaging, email, and cell phones, there is absolutely no reason for you to neglect putting in where you can be contacted twenty four hours of any day.

Do not rely on your home phone number as you may be out of the place when the prospective hirer calls; get a cell phone. This will ensure that you get informed whenever you are scheduled for a job interview.

4. Write out an “objective” for each job and employer. The objective here is your opportunity to connect your skills, experience, traits, and job requirements with those the prospective employer is seeking. This is normally in the job posting made by him and write your objective in a responsive manner to what he wants from an applicant, Be specific and do not waste his time reading generalized nonsense.

Always keep your phrases clear and crisp.  Do not use meaningless or complex sentenses. Your application will get rejected immediately because the hirer may not understand the “depth” of language.