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Your resume is by far the most important factor a potential employer considers when selecting who to interview. Even when your resume is accompanied by an impressive referral, it’s that job resume that’s going to really count at this stage. A. Harrison Barnes, career coach and the man behind such sites as Hound.com and EmploymentCrossing.com, says it’s the first introduction made between you and the interviewer. Further, he says if there are one hundred resumes for one job opening, it’s going to come down to the well prepared resume that’s error free, easy to read and provides all of the initial information necessary for narrowing the pool of candidates.

Still another purpose of a job resume is that it allows the employer to verify a candidate can follow instructions. If the resume is in response to a posted vacancy, odds are, there will be a few specifics the employer wants candidates to include in their initial correspondence. If you’re asked to provide a history of what you’ve done in the past ten years, make sure you do it – even if you were still pursuing your education of raising your family. Think of your resume as the ice breaker, of sorts. The interviewer is provided insight into a job applicant’s achievements, education and job history. And too, it allows him to look at past employers to verify you can hold a job for more than six months. He’s also going to be looking for time periods that are unaccounted for. On a side note, this is where the cover letter plays a role: it allows you to provide an explanation for those three years that’s not included in the resume. Whether or not you took a few years off to further pursue your education or to start a family, that period of time will be reflected in your resume and your cover letter ties up those loose ends.

Finally, your contact information is included in your resume; which, of course, is how contact is made. Double check to be sure it’s complete and accurate. Adding both a home and cell number is standard these days; however, do not include your extension with your current employer. It’s in poor taste and will cause the potential employer to question your ethics. Be sure to add your email address and if you use one of the newer VoIP services, such as Skype, including your contact information for this is also acceptable.

A. Harrison Barnes reminds us the professional resume is as crucial to the job hunt as your appearance and answers you provide during an actual interview. You have one opportunity to get it right, so it’s important to make it count and ensure it hits its mark. Remember to include any requested information and triple check for grammatical and typographical errors. Taking these precautions will serve you well as you begin the search for your new career on Hound.com. Before long, you will have found that one position that allows you to make your mark in your new job.

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