Looking for a new job is a difficult and time-consuming process. After taking the time to research prospective employers, line up professional references, and practice your interviewing skills, you may be tempted to reuse your old resume. Don't!

If you're trying to land an interview for your dream job, you need a freshly revised, customized resume that will grab the reviewers' attention. Follow the simple steps below to write a resume that will stand out and remember, employers want to hire people who do the job and make a lasting impact. By writing a tailored resume that showcases your strengths, drive, and passion, you may just convince the recruiter that you are the right candidate for the job.

Start with the basics, then hook the reader.

Every resume starts with contact information. Your name, phone number, email address, and, if applicable, links to your website and LinkedIn profile should all go in the header.

Once the basics are covered, you need to give the reviewers reason to keep reading. If you want the reviewers to give your resume more than a quick skim, you need to write something in the header that will make them want to keep reading.

Many hiring managers and recruiters prefer a short paragraph (two to three sentences) that quickly summarizes your experience and highlights your skills that are relevant to the role you are seeking.

Show your worth.

The majority of your resume should focus on your work experience. List your past jobs in chronological order from most recent to oldest and include details about how you made a difference at your previous companies. Use action verbs, give specific examples, and add quantifiable results to show how you excelled in your past positions. For example, "Designed and implemented new onboarding program that increased the one-year employee retention rate by 20%" sounds much more impressive than saying, "Oversaw new onboarding program."

Now would also be a good time to mention, in the context of your work history, any advanced technical knowledge or software skills you may have. Depending on the job description, you may want to discuss your expertise with the software required for the role, as well as any certifications or training you have completed.

Soft skills matter, too.

​Effective writing and verbal communication, critical thinking, time management, and problem-solving abilities are all highly demanded skills in the modern workplace. Show that you possess these attributes by writing a carefully organized, tailored resume and cover letter, free of grammatical and spelling errors. You can also write your work history to show your collaboration, adaptability, and leadership.

Why you?

Highlight talents that are relevant to the position or company like foreign language fluency and leadership in community or professional groups. Show your passion and use your unique background to make yourself stand out. Don't be afraid to mention a few outside interests and personal pursuits to give hiring managers a more complete picture of you but remember that your resume is a professional document.

Proofread!

The final step in this guide is perhaps the easiest, but most overlooked. Make sure your resume does not contain ANY spelling or grammatical errors! Run spell check, read your document out loud, and ask a friend to double check your work. Even one typo can ruin your chances of landing an interview.