At my son's birthday party last week, the entertainment consisted of making stuffed animals.

They had a choice of making a monkey, a bear, a puppy, a lamb, or... a unicorn. The adult in charge held up each animal in turn and asked who wanted to make that critter.

The unicorn was last. When he held it up, several little girls raised their hands so enthusiastically that they almost levitated off the seat. The looks on their faces was priceless; they were so excited, it might as well have been their birthday.

That's how you want the reader of your resume to be when they read about you!

It's a sad fact, but 99 percent of resumes stink. The good ones are rare and elusive - just like a unicorn.

The best way to make your resume stand out is to know your own strengths and talents:

1. What are you really good at?

Your greatest success is going to come from using your natural talents and personality on the job, so it's vital to convey them on your resume.

When was the first time, in your life, you received praise for doing something well?

What activities do you like to do, that also produce results you're proud of?

When you start a new project, what parts do you look forward to?

2. When did you use these strengths and talents on the job?

Now think of a time when you demonstrated that on the job. Make it real with numbers - of dollars, customers, or dates.

"Top salesman with $1,000,000 in gross sales"

"Able to analyze 8 gigabyte log files and determine root cause of errors"

3. Highlight these strengths in your resume.

Add the success stories to your resume, then determine which accomplishments (two or three maximum) you're most proud of. Take these accomplishments and mention them in your Summary Section. (They'll be in two places: the Summary Section and in the Job Experience section.)

Ready to learn more about how to get more interviews for each resume you send out?

Download my FREE 12-page report, "Anatomy of a Perfect Resume," at http://www.magneticresume.com so you can learn:

* The 4 most common deadly mistakes that people make and how to fix them!
* How to create the perfect Career Objective & Career Summary sections
* How to maximize your resume so you're the candidate your next boss wants to meet!

Scott Shane Holt has seen it all while hiring over 100 people on Wall Street, in good times and bad, and as an executive coach helping managers and other professionals accelerate their careers.

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