If you’re like I used to be, you might have stopped creating resolutions all together because you never followed through with them. I had given up hope of ever fulfilling a resolution. Well… until I discovered two important secrets.

First, before you commit to any new goals you need to work on some of your old issues. Clearing out old enables you to make room for new and better things to come into your life. Second, if you focus your resolutions around your strengths, and not on what you want to improve, you have way better changes in succeeding.

As an Executive Coach, I’ve worked with many corporate leaders as well individuals to help them set goals and work on strategies in order to achieve their New Year’s plans. What I find most often is that goal is too broad. On their “to do” lists they have things such as: make more money, reduce debt, have less conflict at work, find security in my career, lose weight, etc.

Nothing is wrong with these resolutions, yet they are not enough to inspire you or help you remain committed. To be successful with fulfilling your New Year’s resolutions, consider following:

Ah...the resume. If you've ever written one you know what a challenging task it can be.

The Gregg Reference Manual tells us some fundamental facts about resumes:

* The purpose of your resume is to get you an employment meeting. An interview. Your resume will not get you a job.

* Your resume is not a medium for telling prospective employers about your long-term goals and aspirations. It is where you appeal to their hiring motivations by demonstrating what you can do for them, communicating experience you have acquired and skills you have developed.

With these basic concepts in mind, let's summarize several other elements that your contemporary resume must include:

R = Review of your qualifications E = Essential information only S = Showcase your value U = You are Unique! M = Market yourself E = Effectively gets you noticed

-------------------------------------------- R = Review of your qualifications -------------------------------------------- What skills, education, or experience (paid or unpaid) do you have that make you ideal candidate for opportunity, industry, or career you are pursuing? These data bits are building blocks of any resume. They are absolute musts.

Most self-written resumes do a pretty decent job of listing skills and education, but fail miserably in Experience section. More on how to address this challenge when we get to "S" below.

---------------------------------------- E = Essential information only ---------------------------------------- Your resume should not be a voluminous listing of everything you have done, everywhere you have done it, and every club or association you've ever been affiliated with. Chisel your copy down to content that is relevant to your target job/career path.

Suppose you are a marketing professional. Your memberships in American Marketing Association, Direct Marketing Association, and Public Relations Society of America belong on your resume.

Your memberships in local dog trainers club and American Dog Owners Associaiton can clearly be left off (unless you are applying for a marketing position with Humane Society).