While news of an improving US economy gives job seekers a glimmer of hope in the job market, competition is fiercer than ever. To “bring your A-game” you need to take a second look at your resume, to make sure you’re prepared to take on the toughest opposition. These are the six main areas of the resume that require immediate attention.

What is the OBJETIVE?

Any resume that still uses an objective statement should remove it and create a compelling introduction that includes a personal brand statement. A personalized career summary and honed personal brand statement will grab the attention of the hiring authority and deliver all the relevant information directly – the intelligence needed in determining whether to schedule an interview.

Keep in mind that the average employer spends less than 10 seconds reviewing each resume and their focus is on the first half of the first page. Failing to provide a resume with an impressive summary will become the candidate’s “sudden death” in the consideration process.

Could there be a design flaw?

Professional resume writers understand the time and effort that goes into your design and format. Someone just entering the job market should have a resume that looks very different from that of a C-level executive. Using the wrong format or a flawed design will ultimately turn the job seeker into an amateur and not qualified for your post.

Using keywords?

When the employer receives a resume, they are likely to use a software scanning system that searches for keywords based on the position. Not including those keywords means that the software will not identify the candidate as qualified to proceed to the next step. When the document is being reviewed by a recruiter or HR associate in the preliminary review process, the fact that the keywords are not easily found results in the same result.

Making general statements?

Every job seeker must differentiate themselves from their competition. Making a statement like “great team player” or “quality customer service provider” says absolutely nothing to the employer. It is essential to provide an example that illustrates how the candidate is an excellent team player, rather than just making a general comment. A better inclusion would be “led and managed a sales team of 15, from 1 million to 9.5 million in annual production.” Provide accurate and detailed information to ensure the resume stays in the “keep” pile.

Talk in the tangible.

Space on a resume is precious. Including things like detail-oriented, quality communicator, etc., wastes important space and takes away from the job applicant’s ability to articulate why this employer should hire them. Talk in terms of definable skills and experience, and avoid describing intangible qualities that anyone can tell you possess. Again, this is where the specific examples rule the curriculum.

Talk about past work experiences.

When listing past employers, it’s essential to avoid simply giving the stock job description. After all, the goal is to be different from the rest of the group applying for the same job! Focus on addressing the challenges faced in previous roles, how they were handled, and the results. As long as the job seeker meets the employer’s qualifications, this one change instantly grabs the recruiter’s attention and allows the candidate to outperform their competitors in the first round of the hiring process.

The overall goal of every resume is to grab the attention of hiring managers and encourage them to schedule the interview. Candidates must create a resume that shows how they differ from any other job seeker on the market.