In a job search, your first introduction to an employer is almost always your resume. As such, it is absolutely essential that your resume immediately capture the attention of your reader. But how do you do that? When your resume is sitting on a desk with 475 other resumes, how do you ensure that your resume rises to the top, making the cut to be placed in the "keeper" file rather than the circular file? More importantly, how do you ensure that your resume compels the recipient to actually pick up the phone and call you for an interview?

The solution, of course, is to remember that your resume is a marketing document. It is NOT an autobiography. Your resume is an advertisement—an advertisement that is selling YOU as the ideal solution to an employer's problems.

To achieve this, your resume must present your key skills, qualifications, experiences, and accomplishments in a way that is both convincing and compelling. Your resume must be written to clearly illustrate to the reader that you can meet their needs and help them to achieve their goals, all the while adding value to their organization and delivering a strong return on their investment in hiring you.

One of the most common resume writing mistakes is the development of a responsibilities-focused resume. Job descriptions simply don't distinguish you from anyone else that does the same or a similar job as you. A resume focused on responsibilities and job descriptions illustrates to the reader how you are ordinary. Instead, your goal is to show the reader how you are EXTRAordinary. To do that, your resume must be focused on achievements and results. Achievement-focused resumes engage readers, essentially painting a picture of how you have added value in the past and thus, helping the reader to envision how you will add value in the future to their organization. By creating the achievement-focused resume, you illustrate your business savvy, your understanding of the bottom line, and your track record for contributing to it.

But, for many people, writing an achievement-focused resume is easier said than done. Are you like so many other people who have trouble identifying exactly what their achievements in the workplace have been? Maybe you have even worried that you don't have any accomplishments of note to include in your resume. Let me put your mind at ease right now. This simply isn't true! Every single person has value to add and unique contributions to make.

Rewriting your resume to emphasize achievements and results is almost always the single most impactful improvement you can make. If your resume isn't generating results, rewriting it to emphasize the past challenges you have faced, the actions you have taken to meet those challenges, and the benefits of those actions, will likely have a dramatic positive impact on your job search results.

If you, like so many others, are struggling to identify and communicate your achievements, the following 50 questions will help.

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