There are several pieces of advice that used to be the Ten Commandments for career advice. However, there are new sacraments these days, so here are the archaic pieces of advice that should be ignored at all costs.

Prim and proper language should be utilized on a resume:
Resumes that contain genuine language stand out the most to potential employers. A professional tone should still be applied, but the style should sound personalized.

Answer the biggest weakness question with a positive:
This piece of advice has been so widely spread that prospective employers know all the most popular answers by heart. Surprise the interviewer by answering with an actual weakness and how you plan to compensate for this flaw.

Write “references can be provided if necessary” on the bottom of your resume:
Nowadays, employers expect references to be provided on every application. Resumes that do not contain references are often ignored.

Good resume paper equals a good resume:
Resume paper has become obsolete as resumes are submitted online for the most part.

Send your resume by overnight mail to impress potential employers:
Receiving a resume by overnight mail will catch attention; however, not the attention you wish to receive. As shown in number 4, resumes are usually submitted online.

Incorporate an objective:
Hiring managers simply are not interested in objectives these days. Usually, they are not relevant to the position being offered and are often ignored.

Landlines are absolutely necessary for phone interviews:
Landlines are slowly going extinct, so it might be impossible for some people to follow this advice. Absolute quiet and clear reception are a must if using a cell phone for an interview.

Resumes should not go over one page in length:
This is fine if you have little experience, but sometimes there is not enough room on one little page. It is more common to see two page resumes as of late.

Every former job goes on the resume:
A resume is supposed to show you in the best possible light, so only jobs that show that should be included.

After sending in a resume, call to schedule an interview:
Countless people are fighting for the same jobs every day, and it is overly confident to assume that you will always get an interview. Calling for an interview will turn prospective employers off, and the expected interview will never come.

Nobody runs background checks in my field:
That may have been the case when you got into the field, but background checks have grown in popularity at an amazing rate over the past decade. Businesses of all sizes now run background checks on many of their employees. It might be helpful to see what’s in your background before your potential employer does. Running a background check on yourself ahead of time can help you to be prepare for any questions an interviewer may ask and to fix any mistakes that show up.

You can find even more tips to assist you in finding your new job by downloading our free Ultimate Job Seeker’s Guide from http://www.MyBackgroundCheck.com/JobSeekerGuide. The Ultimate Job Seeker’s Guide is packed with help from cover letters to growing you professional network. It’s a great tool for job seekers in any field.

Formatting your resume

While the content of your resume should always be your primary focus, the visual presentation is also an important aspect. You want your resume to appear very “clean” and easy to read while still incorporating the key information that will best highlight your skills and experience.

Keep the following four things in mind when creating your resume:

Keep it concise—ideally, your resume should fit on one page. It is absolutely true that some recruiters will immediately ignore a resume that exceeds a single page. If you’re having trouble editing your resume, take a careful look at what you are including. Try to filter the resume so that only the strongest information is included. If your resume must exceed one page, limit it to two pages at most.

Choose a professional font—traditional fonts such as Times New Roman, Arial and Verdana are excellent options. Be consistent with your choice and don’t use more than two fonts in the resume. Make sure to use a readable font size as well—don’t be tempted to dramatically reduce the font size in order to fit more information on the page.

Use bold text to highlight key information— utilizing bold text is an easy way to draw the reader’s eye to specific information or sections within your resume. Don’t overdo it, and resist the urge to incorporate bold text, italicized text and underlining—a simple style is best.

Use bullet points effectively—they are best used for listing skills or specific accomplishments. Bullet points immediately draw the attention of the reader, so be sure to use them wisely.

Using multiple resumes

A resume simply isn’t a one-size-fits-all tool—a single resume should not be used for all employers in your job search. Each company is looking for something very specific, and to capture a recruiter’s attention, your resume should reflect the skills, experience and qualifications that he or she is actively seeking.

To do this, you must customize your resume. Every time you respond to a job posting, you should establish exactly what the employer needs and then tailor your resume to suit those requirements. This can be accomplished in several ways:

Adjust the title of your resume—make sure that it closely matches the position you desire.

Rewrite your career summary—highlight the most relevant experience and put that information at the beginning of your summary.

Edit your skills—organize your skills to reflect the employer’s needs. Important skills should be highlighted so that they can be easily identified by the reader.

Don’t exaggerate—as always, be truthful in your writing. You don’t want to give an inaccurate representation about your experience or abilities!

This may seem like a time-consuming practice, but it is well worth the effort. The more closely your resume reflects an employer’s requirements, the more likely you are to garner an interview—and a job.

You can find even more tips to assist you in finding your new job by downloading our free Ultimate Job Seeker’s Guide from http://www.mybackgroundcheck.com/jobseekerguide/. The Ultimate Job Seeker’s Guide is packed with help from cover letters to growing you professional network. It’s a great tool for job seekers in any field.

Your resume is often the first thing an employer sees when you apply for a job—it serves as an introduction to you and your job history. There’s no second chance to make a first impression, so it’s vital to make sure that your resume is well-written, properly formatted and that it effectively communicates your professional background.

While different employers may have specific criteria in mind when examining a resume, they all expect to see a clean, polished document that will paint a precise picture of your work history. Padding a resume with frivolous information— or worse, false information—is often immediately apparent to experienced employers and can result in instant disqualification. It is always best to present your history concisely and truthfully.

Just as an ineffective resume can hinder your chances of employment, an excellent resume can get your foot in the door. Even if your job skills don’t exactly match what an employer is seeking, a good resume can often win you an interview, where you will have the chance to personally impress those who are hiring and to promote the skills that do qualify you for the position.

While the resume serves to educate employers about your skills and job history, it can perform a much more important function: a well-written resume will generate interest about you as a qualified candidate. Including an objective and skills summary before listing your work history and education can be an extremely effective way to accomplish this goal. Some prefer to eliminate these preliminary sections, and that is certainly acceptable, but highlighting your intentions and strengths is an excellent way to promote yourself and to garner the attention of the person who is reading your resume.

Follow these guidelines for a powerful resume that is sure to impress prospective employers:

• Review samples—you can find many examples of successful resumes online. See which types of resumes appeal to you and take note of the ones that are the most impressive.
• Make an impact with your resume title— ”Seeking Sales Position” is not nearly as effective as “Top-Ranked Sales Rep—10+ Years of Experience.”
• If you use an objective, focus on what the employer needs—be concise, include a specific goal and reference the position for which you are applying.
• Write a powerful career summary—a career summary can be used in conjunction with or in place of an objective. An excellent summary will include your resume title, key professional accomplishments, relevant abilities and a list of your areas of expertise
• Be honest about your work experience and education—a straightforward and truthful resume is the best option. A “padded” resume is often very obvious to employers.
• Think marketing—write your resume as though you are advertising your skills and history, not simply recounting the facts. A resume that is infused with enthusiasm is much more interesting than a dry list of skills and experience.
• Use “action” words—the power of language is your greatest tool. Words that denote action and success, such as “accelerated,” “pinpointed” and “revitalized” paint a strong picture for employers. Search the Internet for comprehensive action word lists.