(ARA) – What would you do if tough economic times forced your company to make drastic cutbacks and, without warning, you lost your job? We’re not even through the first quarter of 2008 yet, but according to the U.S. Labor Department, nearly 180,000 Americans have already fallen victim to the budget axe, the majority of them in the financial, manufacturing and construction industries.

While those who were prepared for the inevitable landed on their feet, most were caught off guard and are likely still looking for work. “With the economic climate being what it is today, it is absolutely critical that you have an updated resume in hand to start sending out immediately after getting the bad news,” says Darlene Zambruski, managing editor of ResumeEdge.com, one of the leading resume writing and editing services online.

In her seven years with the company, Zambruski, who is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) herself, says, “The key is to think like a hiring manager and make sure you clearly convey what you can bring to the job. The biggest mistake people make when they put together a resume is not highlighting their achievements. If your work has helped increase revenues or saved the company money, that’s something you need to showcase.”

Here are seven tips job searchers can use to beef up the impression they make on a potential employer:

1. Target your resume to the position you are seeking. These days, a lot of companies use OCR (optical character recognition) software to scan resumes when they come in. Only those that hit on a lot of key words are reviewed. Not sure which key words to add for your particular industry? The Web site: www.dice.com is a great resource for tech-oriented jobs.

2. Never put your objective on the resume. That’s telling the hiring manager what you want, not what you can do for their company.

3. Highlight your accomplishments. A resume without accomplishments is like a burger without the beef.

4. Don't mail your resume without a cover letter. Your cover letter should be well written and should briefly and effectively highlight the strengths that are critical for the position you are applying for.

5. Thoroughly research the organization before you go in for an interview, and be prepared to ask intelligent questions that show you did your homework.  

6. In the interview, always stress your skills, accomplishments and strengths as they relate to the job you are interviewing for.

7. Be flexible and have reasonable expectations of both position and salary. If you see future job potential, sometimes it may be helpful to consider a temporary or part-time position.

“I liken a resume to the back of a paperback novel,” says Zambruski. “It has to be compelling from the beginning to draw people in. If you don’t prove to a hiring manager in seven seconds or less that you are valuable, they’ll just toss your resume aside and move on to the next candidate.”

Need help putting together a winning resume that can get you the job you need tomorrow? Log on to www.ResumeEdge.com today to be paired up with an expert who can help. The company employs degreed, professional writers with experience in a wide range of industries. The writer assigned to your account can help you not only with a resume, but cover letters, biographies, news releases and more.

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