Feel like your resume is being left in the dust? Like you’re not impressing the pants off of your potential employer? Well that needs to stop. And here’s how. CareerRocketeer writer Jessica Holbrook Hernandez is an expert resume writer, career and personal branding strategist, author, speaker and President/CEO of Great Resumes Fast, a.k.a she knows her stuff. And Jessica has provided us with some tips to get that resume sparkling in the New Year:

GIVE THEM A QUOTE

Who said recommendations and quotes are for reference checks and reference addendums only? The most eye-catching element you can add to your resume is a hard-hitting, brief quote from a previous supervisor/client/employer that touts your expertise. Using a quote says, “I’m not just patting myself on the back; this is what others have to say about what I’ve accomplished, and it’s worth taking a look!” Position the quote in a prominent place on your resume where other compelling information is contained because I guarantee you, it will secure the read.

NOTE THE NEWSWORTHY

In college I majored in Communications/Public Relations. As part of my program of study I took journalism courses and learned about the inverted pyramid format of writing.

When writing for print you put the most newsworthy information at the beginning of the story and work your way down. In resume writing this is a perfect strategy for capturing the hiring manager’s attention, communicating the most relevant and persuasive information, and securing the interview. Put your most “newsworthy” accomplishments and contribution at the top of the resume and then work your way down through the remainder of your work history and experience.

BRAND THE DOCUMENT – NOT JUST THE RESUME

It’s important to not just brand your resume itself, but brand your whole document as well. Most resumes come to us with the person’s name on the title of the doc file or just the word ‘resume’. An extremely effective strategy for getting the hiring manager to open the document and READ IT is to title it with your name and the position title for which you are applying (this implies an exact match of skills and qualifications). Or use your name and a brief branding statement relevant to the targeted position (this also secures the interest and the read).