Back in January we mentioned how a great cover letter was absolutely mandatory when submitting your resume. Not having one nowadays simply shows you aren't serious about the job.

BUT, a good cover letter and a poorly formed resume doesn't help you too much. So, let's tweak your resume a little. If you want to trudge through duplicated content, ebooks, and spam sites, go ahead and use a search engine for some tips. If you want to jump right in, start with this handful of sites.

• Ten Easy Ways to Improve Your Resume: "Eliminate "responsibilities" words from your resume vocabulary. Never use expressions like "Duties included," "Responsibilities included," or “Responsible for” on your resume. Why? Because your resume should be accomplishments-driven, not responsibilities-driven. Anyone (well, maybe not anyone…) can perform the duties listed in a job description. Job-description language is not what sells in a resume. Accomplishments-oriented language tells employers how you've gone above and beyond in your jobs, what makes you special, how you've taken initiative and made your jobs your own."


• Give your resume a face lift: "Even if you can’t hire a fancy designer and are stuck with Microsoft Word, a few tweaks can turn your blasé resume into an elegant and functional showpiece."


• 21 Ways to Improve Your Online Resume: "Content! Keywords!
  Since most employers sort resumes electronically, keywords and specifics that demonstrate your abilities, your accomplishments, and your past experiences are crucial to getting their attention."


• How to Write a Masterpiece of a Resume: "To write an effective resume, you have to learn how to write powerful but subtle advertising copy. Not only that, but you must sell a product in which you have a large personal investment: you."

Sites containing free sample resumes:

• Susan Ireland: Get ideas from these 90+ sample resumes by occupation.
  
• About.com:These sample resumes and templates provide job seekers with examples of resume formats that will work for almost every job seeker.
  
• Vault.com: These resume examples for many different occupations and industries.

Photo: Daoist56