Fine-Tuning Your Résumé for Maximum Impact

By JANE PORTER

It's
one of the first things people think to do after losing a job: quickly
get a résumé into as many hands as possible. But career experts say
doing so without a strategic plan is a mistake -- wasting time and
energy and resulting in few callbacks. "Most people sprinkle their
résumé around like confetti hoping they will land in the right spot,"
says Ford Myers, president of Career Potential LLC, a
Philadelphia-based career consulting firm. "It's a bad strategy." How
to get the most out of your résumé:

Getty Images

Make a wish list.
Take the time to identify the companies you want to work for before you
sit down to write your résumé. "You have to know where you are headed,"
says Robert Saam, a senior vice president at Woodcliff Lake, N.J.-based
outplacement firm Lee Hecht Harrison. "This informs how to do your
résumé." For example, knowing a company you are applying to is in the
midst of making acquisitions can help you structure your résumé to
highlight relevant work experience, he says.

Use keywords. Particularly when
answering ads through online job boards or through a corporate Web
site, be sure to include critical keywords high up in your résumé. For
example, for someone applying for a human-resources position, it would
be wise to include key words such as "recruiting" and "hiring" near the
top of a résumé for better search optimization. Other clues to the
right keywords can be found in the job description -- try to use words
found there in your résumé.

Tell your story. Once you're
ready to send out the résumé, make sure it's doing the job of
showcasing your skills and accomplishments. Many résumé writers begin
by trying to construct concise bullet points. But that can mean losing
some of the critical pieces of information involved in what you've
accomplished. So, Mr. Saam suggests first spelling out the details of a
work-related situation, any obstacle, the action you took to resolve
the issue, and the results of your actions. Write out the complete
story, he advises, and then whittle it down to a series of concise
descriptive bullet points.

Find an insider. Develop a
networking list of friends, former colleagues, and acquaintances who
might know people at your target companies. Taking the time to pinpoint
key contacts at the company where you are applying will help ensure
your résumé gets into the right person's hands. What's more, an
introduction to an insider will help avoid needing to use the résumé
upfront.

Try a personal touch. For Daniel
Muldowney, who has been looking for a marketing job since he was laid
off in March, putting a personal touch on his résumé is one way to grab
the attention of hiring managers. Mr. Muldowney encloses a handwritten
note with his résumé, making clear that he has researched each company,
mentioning, for example, the firm's last quarterly report or a recent
speech made by the CEO. "The ultimate goal is to catch an executive's
attention," says Mr. Muldowney.

Re-evaluate regularly. If you've
been sending your résumé out for a month or more with no response, ask
yourself a few questions. Have you developed a plan that outlines the
job functions and industries that most interest you? Are there new
keywords you need to incorporate or are your bullet points not playing
to your strengths or the company's needs?

Write to Jane Porter at jane.porter@wsj.com