Every day I get dozens of resumes from people who want me to critique their resume. And in most cases, they all have the same problem. They are written from their point of view, listing the roles and responsibilities they have had over the years. They assume that someone will read their resume and then figure out how they can be used in their company. You have all probably heard that someone will spend a mere 7-10 seconds scanning your resume. So that means that the only people who will actually read your resume is usually you, your significant other and maybe your mother.

A good resume has to have a theme: “Here’s what I can do for you”. The opening should highlight your experience, skills and selected achievements. And this theme should be continued throughout the resume by showing how your core skills produced great things in all of your jobs. So how do you know what skills to focus upon? Write an ad.

Make believe you are an employer looking for the perfect employee. Now write the Help Wanted ad that will get you that person. Such as: “Really great company looking for outstanding manager to take over National Sales team. Must have 5+ years of experience managing a sales team including setting performance goals, establishing incentive systems and using Sales Force Automation/CRM systems”. Guess what? You just determined what to feature in your resume. This simple trick of putting yourself in the employer’s frame of mind can work wonders on your resume.