First things first, do you have an updated version of your resume? Whether you are looking for a job or not, your resume should ALWAYS be up to date. Keep a copy of your resume on your home and work computer. As you finish important projects, add them. It makes it much easier to jump on that perfect job before others get to it. As always, being first in line has its advantages.

Times are tough! Microsoft Office is expensive. Unfortunantly, almost all recruiters and companies ask for a Word version of your resume. Why should you spend hundreds of dollars on Microsoft Word just for one document (your resume)? Thanks to Sun Microsystems, you no longer need to shell out all of this money to Microsoft. Download OpenOffice for FREE! It does a really good job reading/writing Word documents.

http://www.openoffice.org/

If possilble and your hiring manager is OK with it, always send your resume in PDF format. Almost every computer out there has the free PDF reader installed. Word documents can be edited by the recipient (do you want to take this risk?); PDF documents cannot. Openoffice (mentioned above) has built-in capabilities to save your resume in PDF format. PDFCreater is another FREE alternative to use when creating PDF files.

Network. Network. Network. Use your network of past business contacts to get your resume in front of the actual people who are hiring. Many times, the HR department of large companies will either lose your resume or pre-screen it (tossing it). I will teach you techniques to get your resume seen!

The Chicago Tribune just published an article with some great information on creating a winning resume, check it out here. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/la-fi-cover29-2009mar29,0,1888945.story

Remember, you don't have to be traditional or fit into a specific mold when it comes to your resume.  If every billboard on the street looked the same, would any of them be effective?  When applying for a job, you are marketing yourself.  Employers realize that if you can market yourself well, then you will more than likely be able to bring customers into them and hire you. 

Lastly, contact "Hired! in Tampa Bay"! We will work with you to tweak your resume and promote it using all possible avenues.