As a professional in your industry, you have experience writing resumes. You know all about the basics, such as writing in a clear and concise manner, maintaining a consistent format and proofreading multiple times before submission. But have you heard of including the three “R’s” in your resume? Relevance, Results, and Realism are important elements that play a part in how effective your resume is.

· Relevance

Include skills and experience that are relevant to the position. Show why you stand out among the competition and are the best fit for the role. Your work experience section is the one that most hiring managers look at first to determine whether your career path makes you a suitable candidate for the position. Managers also want to know which companies you were employed by, what responsibilities you fulfilled, and how you provided value to previous organizations. Create your work experience section in reverse chronological order. Start with your most recent role. Include your job title, company name, location and dates of employment. If you have employment gaps, either leave off the dates or explain the gaps. For instance, list “full-time parenting,” “study leave” or “traveling.” Bullet point specific, quantifiable ways in which you contributed to the company. Use action verbs such as “coordinated,” “launched” or “restructured” to detail your main achievements. For example, “Increased sales by 35 percent over six months.” Go back 15 years, listing your information in the same format.

· Results

Hiring managers want to know how you will benefit their company before they decide whether to call you for an interview. Your resume will ROAR when you make it results-oriented and relevant. Expand on your ordinary responsibilities to show what made you a valuable contributor to each organization. Include numbers, awards, commendations and other evidence that demonstrates how you went above and beyond expectations to add value to the business. For instance, “Promoted to Senior Account Executive after 12 months of employment,” “Increased revenue by 30 percent within first year of employment,” or “Achieved ‘Top Performance’ salesperson award for three consecutive months.”

· Realism

Be honest when explaining your skills and abilities. Hiring managers can tell whether you are exaggerating. Even if you oversell yourself and get hired, you most likely will be let go when you demonstrate an inability to perform the functions you said you could. Because hiring managers talk, you may have a difficult time getting rehired in your industry.

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