Get the resume writing help you need with these 5 secrets of effective resume writing. It's important to learn the correct approach to writing resumes. After all, an effective resume can lead to job interviews that lead to job offers!

The job market has become unbelievably competitive. With hundreds of qualified applicants for every job opening, your odds may seem nearly insurmountable. However, with the right resume strategy, you can make sure you stand out from your competition. It doesn't take professional writing skills, though there's certainly nothing wrong with hiring a professional resume writer. But the truth is, you can write a great resume all by yourself with the following tips.

Get in touch with the real purpose of a resume. It's not to tell your life story. Think of an effective resume as a tool for selling your most relevant credentials, skills, and knowledge to an employer. Some people don't like the word "sell", but you need to get over that. If you don't approach the job search as a project to sell yourself, then you're not going to get the job.
Know what your most wanted response to your resume should be. The response to effective resume writing should always be to get a job interview. If you've done a great job with selling yourself, then job interviews should follow.
Master the art of concise description. Most employers spend no more than 15 to 20 seconds reviewing an individual resume, so make sure when writing resumes that you are clear, concise and relevant. Use a summary or power statement right at the top and then lots of bullets and powerful action words in your job history.
Strive for perfection. In your resume, that is. You may not be perfect, but your resume better be, or it will be quickly relegated to the circular file (read: trash). The best resume writing help you can get is someone else to proof it for you before you mail, fax or email it. No typo, grammatical error or spelling error is acceptable on a resume. Employers will wonder about your performance when you don't care enough to produce a perfect resume.
Don't expect the resume to tell the whole story. Even though effective resume writing will produce a resume that tells a great deal about you, chances are there will be some missing pieces or things you'd like to highlight. That's what a resume cover letter is for. Make sure you use the cover letter to fill in any gaps or highlight accomplishments you're most proud of. Together, the two documents can present a powerful sales message for you.

So, you see, if you pay attention to the resume writing help outlined in this article, effective resume writing should be a snap for you!

Kathleen MacNaughton is an experienced hiring manager and has personally helped hundreds of people land their dream jobs. For more great tips on writing powerful resumes and killer cover letters that enable you to get and ace job interviews, visit http://www.squidoo.com/resume-writing-information or http://www.resume-writing-information.info