==> You just graduated from high school--or even better, college--and you’re ready to strike out on a quest for your first "real" job.

==> Your worst fears finally manifested and you’ve been downsized.

==> You’re bored with career path you’ve been on for past few years, and you’re ready to strike out in a new direction.

==> You want to change jobs (within your field) for better salary, benefits, or chance at promotion.

Whatever your motivation, a powerful resume is essential. In truth, a resume alone won’t get you that dream job you’re craving. Not even if you implement every resume writing tip you can get your hands on!

But a great resume will get you in door for an interview. It will make you stand out as a superior candidate for job you’ve applied for. And that achievement is huge, given fierce competitive nature of today’s job market. Not only that, but a well-crafted resume will put decision-maker you meet with in a hiring frame of mind. As long as you don’t blow interview, you’ll have a great shot at that job!

Digest and apply each resume writing tip below as you craft a powerful resume that will make all difference in your adventure to land a job!

POWERFUL RESUME WRITING TIPS: 10 Steps to Success

Resume Writing Tip #1: Gather your background materials. To complete your resume, you’ll need to know your dates of employment at each of your previous jobs and when you went to school. You’ll also need to be able to describe your skills and accomplishments on job, so put some thought into those areas.

Resume Writing Tip #2: Decide on a format. Before you can start writing a resume, you’ll need to decide if functional or chronological format will work best for you. Remember, you want to put yourself and your abilities in best light.

Resume Writing Tip #3: Put together a general outline. A resume outline will help you get organized and will prevent you from overlooking any essential pieces of information that should be included.

A cover letter is crucial because it’s first thing hiring manager sees. And you only have seconds to grab his or her attention. So, you have to make sure cover letter stands out from dozens--or maybe even hundreds--of others that cross hiring manager’s desk each week.

You might ask, why bother at all with a cover letter? If I only have a few seconds to grab a recruiter’s attention, why not do it with a resume? The answer is, that even best resume is a rather dry listing of accomplishments and abilities. By definition, it’s a summary.

But with a cover letter, you have an opportunity to let a little bit of your personality shine through and to talk directly to hiring manager. Plus, it’s your chance to show off a little of what you know about company and to tell why you’re interested in job.

Use steps we’ve outlined here and you’ll be well on your way to a dynamite cover letter.

Tip #1: MAKE A CONNECTION There are 3 basic parts to making a connection:

1. Draft a strong opening paragraph. 2. Show your personality. 3. Research and target your audience.

* Draft a Strong Opening Paragraph.

You must capture hiring manager’s interest immediately. The best way to do this is with a dynamic opening sentence and paragraph. Be sure to refer to position you’re vying for, and state why you are qualified for job.

Remember to frame your statements in terms of how you can benefit company, not other way around.

If you can, mention name of someone hiring manager knows and respects. For example, you could say, "Joe Smith recommended that I contact you about your opening for a shift manager." Or, "My associate, Janet Brown, told me such wonderful things about Jones Company that I couldn’t wait to send you my resume."

Rhetorical questions that make hiring manager think can also work well. This should be a question that can lead into some way that you can benefit company. For example, "Are you struggling with rising costs of [fill in blank]? I can cut your costs by 30%. Here’s how..."

Beginning with a quote is another good way to grab reader’s attention. Although you must choose your quote wisely. And then you have to make sure you transition into rest of your letter gracefully.