Your résumé should provide a brief employment history that outlines your responsibilities in each position. You also should include your education, any notable honors and professional interests. Make your résumé a thumbnail profile, not an epic. It's your secret weapon to spark interest and secure an interview.

KEEP IT BRIEF. Your résumé should be no longer than two pages, preferably one. Include just enough information to create the interview opportunity.

DO IT WITH STYLE. Your background and the type of job and industry you're interested in determine your résumé's appearance.

A chronological résumé that lists the current or most recent job first, dates of employment, title, primary duty and major accomplishments, and then previous positions, is still the easiest to read and understand. A functional résumé can be used to distract from age implications, job hopping patterns or gaps in employment, but can also be a flag for those very same shortcomings for experienced interviewers.

A new "profile/ accomplishment/ keyword" format has been gaining popularity with the increased use of résumé-scanning software that automatically screens résumés for inquiries or fills in databases from the data and keywords found in the résumé. Be sure to use the most commonly accepted description and spelling for your job titles, software names and other keywords, to allow the computer to pick them all up correctly.

For printed copies, you should employ a conservative presentation on plain white, good-quality paper, using a simple typeface. Make sure your résumé copies are laser printed. If you are sending your résumé via e-mail, Adobe Acrobat is a good program to use because it can be sent cross platform and is the most readable. If you are sending the résumé to an executive recruiter, use MSWORD or Rich Text Format so that it can be tweaked if necessary by the recruiter. When posting on the Internet, reduce the line length to four inches to allow most monitors and email systems to print your résumé attractively without unnecessary extra wrapping of lines.

DETAILS AND FORMAT ARE CRITICAL. Neatness counts, and typographical errors, poor spelling and faulty grammar are unacceptable. Leave wide margins so the interviewer can make notes before, during and following your meeting. If your résumé impresses the hiring official, it will make a difference in whether or not you get the interview.

ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVES. Your résumé should present your professional background in the most positive manner. Use strong, confident language to describe your achievements. For example, "As the chief manufacturing engineer, redesigned our assembly line process, cutting production time by 20 percent, increasing annual profits by $2.3 million." Or, "As senior account supervisor, brought in seven new clients and increased existing client business by 25 percent. These efforts boosted the agency's profitability by more than 15 percent over the previous year."

USE ACTION-ORIENTED LANGUAGE. Words such as directed, established, created, designed, produced and developed are effective when trying to promote yourself. Think of your résumé as a sales piece for your most important product - you!

LESS IS MORE. Never include age, height, weight, marital status and other extraneous details that will distract from the critical content. Military service is important only if it's related directly to the position you are seeking. Salary requirements aren't appropriate, either. This is usually discussed at the interview stage.

PERFECTION COUNTS. It may take several drafts to turn your résumé into your ideal sales tool. Examine your first draft carefully, and then refine it. Proofread it carefully. Have someone else proofread it, too. Get another opinion on its content and presentation. Now make sure it answers "yes" to the following important questions:

• Does it effectively describe your background?
• Does it highlight your strong points and accomplishments?
• Is it honest and accurate?
• Is it complete, yet concise?
• Is the format clean and attractive?
• Is it a successful sales piece?
• Does it focus on your value to your other employers?
• Does it make you stand out from the crowd?

If you are an APICS member, I will be happy to give very general feedback on your résumé and if you are between jobs you may want to place your résumé in this chapter's résumé referral service, described elsewhere in this newsletter. You may call me for more information about this chapter service, or to ask for a copy of our Interviewing Tips and Strategies booklet, while supplies last.