Having a solid and effective resume can greatly improve your chances of landing that dream job. That is beyond discussion. How does one make sure that his resume is top notch and bullet proof, however? There are several websites with tips around the web, but most bring just a handful of them. We wanted to put them all together in a single place, and that is what you will find below: 44 resume writing tips.

The terms 'Curriculum Vitae' and 'resume' are generally interchangeable. However, few people know that they do differ in many ways. It is true that both are lists of the most relevant information of a person pertaining to job seeking. Both are used for the same purpose - i.e. seeking employment.

What style of Curriculum Vitae writing you are applying in has often been very confusing; the fact the Internet is full of guidelines, dos, and don'ts regarding the styles, instead of helping actually adds to the confusion. The right style depends upon a lot of factors and it would take a little experience and practice to really understand and discover which style goes where and what makes a winning Curriculum Vitae.

There are four styles you could choose from:

Functional Curriculum Vitae - This style usually concentrates most on the skills you have acquired in the past and how you have used these in the previous jobs. This is the best style to use when there are gaps in the employment and you want the recruiter to stay focused on your expertise/skills rather than being deflected by the gaps visible in the career. This is also a great way to write your Curriculum Vitae when your skills are more important than your qualification and employment history.

Performance Curriculum Vitae - This Curriculum Vitae usually focuses on the past performance. This is an excellent CV writing style when you want to be seen as a major achiever since it will focus the attention of the recruiter on you performance/achievement during each job listed in your employment history. This is usually efficient when the career graph has stayed more or less in the same profession for a long time. For example, you have been a teacher for the last 10 years in different schools - here a performance Curriculum Vitae would highlight how each employment has added new challenges to your job and how your performance has been affected by it.

Targeted Curriculum Vitae - This type of Curriculum Vitae would focus on the requirement of the job and exclude most of the other traits and experiences that could distract the recruiter from judging your match with the job applied for. This works best when your employment history is too diversified to make the right impact otherwise. Though the skills acquired would have enriched your professional capacity, these are not directly applicable to the job and hence would not really help the purpose.

Combination Curriculum Vitae - In reality applicants use this format the most. You actually use a little of every style when you are trying to make that winning Curriculum Vitae. It is very rare that you would need to use one single style, as the job vacancies are complex and your career history would need to be carefully tailored to answer the requirements of the recruiter.

Which ever style you might use you should remember a few tips on how to keep the Curriculum Vitae sharp and focused on you:

1. Use the reverse chronological order of events (the latest first) - this is the best way to present your Curriculum Vitae
2. Give a lot of details about the first listed two employment (last two jobs you had) since these jobs would be actually taken into consideration regarding the quality of your performance and background check
3. Do not write anything beyond last ten years in your Curriculum Vitae, unless specifically asked
4. Use only action verbs when you describe what you did and quantify and qualify as much as possible your statements with measurable indicators
5. Keep the language crisp and the information in bulleted points

CV references are usually straightforward. They're people who can give first hand information relevant to your job applications and testify to your skills, character and experience. Choosing references, however, can be considerably more complex in some cases.

DO:

• Include all qualifications, experience, and studies. Make it interesting, show some actual achievements.
• Drop names of employers, if you can. It's a character reference, and it assures prospective employers that they can check your references.
• Include anything unique. Any information that shows value and real ability is priceless, and it's what gets you your job interviews.
• Put real effort into designing your text, presentation, and the layout of your CV. Get help if you need it, but make sure all the content is working for you.
• Make sure that you include a statement that you have references. It is essential, and looks bad if you don't because it's a basic part.

Don't:

• Make any false or possibly misleading claims on your CV. It's a great way to definitely lose a job (This used to be considered 'clever,' for about five seconds, until the world figured it out. Any information you provide which can be shown to be incorrect will be used against you).
• Include personal information that could be used for identity theft. Keep your personal security extremely tight. Stick to a single point of contact, preferably through the job site itself.
• Include names or contacts of references without their permission. It's not only bad etiquette; it's potentially risky for them.
• Use filler, or drab, uninteresting material. Stick to bare bones, if necessary, but avoid things like 'shop assistant' or 'administration duties' and other uninformative interest killers. Describe skills used rather than job titles, because that's what the employer needs to see.
• Use ancient information. Anything older than 5 years can be relegated to the archives, for use only when relevant to a job.

There's a good way of doing quality control on your CV. Just ask yourself:

• 'Is this something an employer really needs to see?'
• 'Does this really look like it will get me a job, or is it just filler?'
• 'Is this relevant to the jobs I want?'

If it isn't good enough, or isn't obviously useful, get rid of it. You need the space on your CV for the important stuff, and any excess material is really wasting that space.

Online CVs are used by a lot of people to get work, in many different professions. Give yourself a real chance with your own. Remember, the only information an employer has to work with is what you present to them.

Resume Length
A resume should be as long as needed to list your best and most relevant qualifications for the job you are seeking. For recent graduates or those with only a few years of experience, you should be able to put all your relevant experience on a single page. If you have extensive experience in your field, you may require a two-page resume to list all or your relevant experience.

When an employer looks at your resume, you've got about 30 seconds to make a good impression. That's the average amount of time most employers spend reading a resume. To capture the reader's attention, you need to be clear and to-the-point. And, that's not all. Keep in mind the following guidelines to create an effective resume:

Your Curriculum Vitae (CV) is the primary medium of presenting yourself as a candidate for a job to a prospective employer. But many of the job seekers do not give proper attention and care in preparing their CVs accurately. As a result, many potential job seekers do not get calls for job interviews to get the opportunity to present and prove their potential.

Have you ever thought of your resume as a personal marketing tool? If not, maybe it's time you do. Your resume should be designed to electrify potential employers by highlighting your most valuable skills and achievements. Get started by using our sure-fire tips.