Often clients come to me with an idea of exactly how they want their resume to look. Understandably, they request samples of previous resumes that I have written in helping to select my services over the competition.

The reality is that a great resume writer knows the content is the most important part of your resume, and format is really used as a tool to showcase your career in the best light possible. Strategically placed elements are the tricks of the trade, used to help the reader interpret and instantly download your unique value. 

Here are three of my favorite resume tactics:

1. Group achievement bullets under headers. If you have had a long tenure with a company, you want to avoid losing the readers interest and diluting the impact. Use subject bullets to group three or more related accomplishments together. This amps up your volume and eliminates the “laundry list” effect.
2. Introduce your achievements with a keyword. Not only does this boost your in-context ATS rankings, but it also helps to underline for the reader where your value lies, and how they can expect you to deliver results as the next member of their team.
3. Use a keyword summary to introduce the position. Rather than a long and boring paragraph, give busy readers the cliff notes version. Instead of a long sentence, try something like this: 15 Direct Reports | $1M Budget | 20% to Goal | Bottom-Line Impact. Show, don’t tell. Keep your readers interested and demonstrate your value.

You only have 15 seconds (or less) to make an impact and inspire the reader to invite to take the next step in the hiring process. Make it count!