As in most things, there is an easy approach to preparing your résumé and then there’s what everyone does instead. The easy method is to maintain an updated résumé at all times, refreshing, augmenting and editing at each step in your career. Assuming you’re not in this category, we’ve compiled the following advice to help you craft a powerful personal document:

Take Stock of Your Career

Identify the following information:

• Professional Experience – for each position held list the job title, employer, location, and dates of employment.
• Education – for each degree define the level of degree, major focus of study, college or university, location, and dates of graduation or completion.
• Awards and Certifications.

Draft Your Résumé in Sections

For the “Professional Experience” section, provide the following information for each position held:

• Job responsibilities – describe the position objective, annual goals, number of businesses/divisions/people managed, and other specifics of the position.
• Accomplishments – here you want to be specific and quantify as much as possible. What improvements did you make for the company, business, division, etc. (e.g., safety issues resolved, quality audits reduced, etc.)? What increases/efficiencies were realized (e.g., profit, sales, new office locations, number of units manufactured, funds raised, etc.)?
• Other major achievements - Think about other areas, perhaps outside the scope of your job, where you made significant contributions. For instance, you may have helped take your company public (specify what you did) or were instrumental in passage of XYZ legislation. Highlight what was involved in realizing these accomplishments.