To help organize the challenging resume preparation and writing task, we recommend you use a standard process. The ultimate goal of writing any resume is to get your foot in the door for a job interview. Once in the interview, it's up to you to shine and get the job itself.

Here's a basic process:

• Start by doing some sort of analysis on your past performance - using performance reviews or reports you've received
• Using the tools in the downloads area, format your past successes and accomplishments for maximum positive impact on your resume
• Write a draft of your resume
• Put the resume draft away for some time - a day usually works well. Consider this your "resume brain cleansing" period
• After the resume brain cleansing period above, review the draft for required edits (grammar, spelling, P-A-R format, ...)
• Ask someone to review the resume for you - grammar, spelling, does it paint a positive picture, is it free from 'fat' - superfluous information
• Finalize the resume (search for a resume format that suits your needs)
• Paper version - use heavier paper - ensure your ink jet printer has dark ink and prints clean
• Online submission - save your document as a text-only file. Open the file in a text-only reader and look for problem characters that didn't translate well to text only