BUILDING A STRONG RESUME

Although networking is the best way to find the job you want, a strong resume is a must if you want to get one of the really plum jobs.  When you aren’t there to “WOW” you potential employers with your accomplishments and terrific attitude, your résumé has to do the talking for you.

HIGHLIGHT YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Employers are usually not looking at your academic record to see if you “fit” the job they have open.  “Book learning” is not as valuable to most employers as your experience, accomplishments, and attitude toward work.  Yes, they will look at this if it is criteria for the position, but experience, accomplishments, and attitude weigh more heavily. If you have these attributes AND have recently updated your “book learning”, you will have a definite “leg-up” on the other applicants.
To make your resume appear stronger than your peers’, highlight your accomplishments.  Statements like “Participated in Girl Scout cookie fundraiser” is not as impressive compared to “Had the highest sales nationally for the Girl Scouts cookie fundraiser” or “Managed twelve volunteer salespeople to the highest regional cookie sales”.  This demonstrates your ability to get quality work done – and that’s what every company wants it's employees to do.
Use numbers wherever possible to demonstrate accomplishments, such as “Supervised 7 part-time workers or volunteers,” “Increased productivity by 29%,” or “Gave presentations at six regional conferences.”
Be sure to include special school projects, research, internships, and volunteer work.  Mention company, organization, or individual names that are impressive which are also related to the work you did.
SHOW STABILITY - Another thing that employers are concerned about is your stability.  When coming right out of school, it may be difficult to demonstrate this.  Put on your thinking cap.
Have you volunteered on a regular basis at the local hospital?  Have you been a library assistant or a club officer?  Have you held a part-time job while attending school?  Employers realize that most people don’t have full-time employment when going to school, but will value the work ethic.
ACCOUNT FOR ALL TIME PERIODS - Along the same lines as stability, employers want to see that you have not had any time gaps unaccounted for on your resume.  If you spent a summer traveling in Europe, say so.  Foreign experience is valuable to a global company – especially if you understand local customs – and it explains why you don’t have a job listed.
Attending school either full- or part-time, volunteering for a full-time project, travelling, caring for a sick family member, conducting research for a personal project . . . all are legitimate ways to spend your time.  Don’t be afraid to say so on your resume.
SUMMARIZE YOUR VALUES - Many books and counselors still recommend that a Job Objective appear at the top of every resume.  The objective states what type of job the applicant is looking for.  Think about this.  Some busy managers will only read the first section of the resume, the objective, and if it doesn’t match the job that they have available, will toss your resume to the side.  They many never find out that you actually have every quality and skill they are looking for.
To give yourself a fighting chance when that busy manager picks up your resume, you quickly sum up your most valuable accomplishments, skills and experiences in a Professional Summary statement. It should be no more than about three sentences, but should mention things like, “Excels in data analysis”, “Proven sales ability”, “Detail oriented in reports and presentations”, etc. – whatever is applicable.
INCLUDE ALL LANGUAGE SKILLS - With more companies going global these days, any language skills you have can be very valuable.  Indicate whether or not you can read, speak, write, and/or translate.  You don’t have to be able to do everything to be an asset to the company.
ARE YOU A TEAM PLAYER? – Demonstrate your teamwork abilities by indicating your participation on special projects.  If you were an officer for a club, team leader, headed or participated on a work project, that should be prominent in your Summary.
Teaching, tutoring, mentoring, lab assistance, research assistance, etc., can be valuable as well.  Since office technology and business procedures/techniques change quickly, having someone in the company who is able to communicate these things to others is an asset. 
This by no means is a complete guide to resume writing, it is only meant to show ways to make your current resume stronger.
(Excerpts of information came from the “Dose of Reality” Series.)