For most people, writing their own resumes can be a very daunting task. Even if all you have to do is to write about your qualifications and the kinds of things you can do, resume writing isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

What qualifies as a good resume? It should be something that attracts the reader’s attention and gets you the call for an interview. After that, it depends on how good you are. But a good resume is supposed to give you this initial breakthrough. So keep a few things in mind. Primarily, think about why you are writing the resume—the intention is certainly to get a job. But, what kind of job are you looking for? What experiences do you have that can increase the chances of getting that job? What role can you play if that job is indeed assigned to you? These are the primary considerations you need to make.

Every job profile needs to have ‘actionable’ and ‘impressive’ words that can put you in good stead for acquiring the position you are seeking. These are adjectives describing you. Use words like ‘focused’, ‘goal-oriented’, ‘motivated’, ‘highly charged’, ‘dynamic’, etc. and you are sure to gather a good deal of attention right from the outset.

When you are writing a resume, you have to make sure to showcase the fact that you are an achiever. You don’t shrink from responsibility and that you are able to follow instructions even while you are able to be creative when needed.

Don’t make the mistake of making your resume longer than required. Don’t fill it with fluff and with things you cannot do. Don’t exaggerate the previous jobs you have performed.

In case you are employed at the moment, write about that assignment in the present tense, while you write about everything you did in the past in that tense.

You can write a lot of things in your resume, but make sure to include all the points that are applicable to the current job you are applying for. For instance, if you are applying for a post of a team manager, make sure you mention things like your leadership skills, teamwork abilities and such.

Where formatting is concerned, there are several ways you can do it, but use something that makes your resume more readable and attractive. You can use short paragraphs and bullet format, which always looks nice on a resume. Highlight important parts by putting them into boldface or italicizing them, as applicable.

Don’t use too much verbiage. This can kill the prospects of your resume because employers find it quite laborious to read huge chunks of text in the many resumes that they get. Your resume needs to be concise and highlight all the important things that you want your prospective hirer to know.