Your resume is the first representation many hiring managers have of you. Unfortunately the average resume gets less than 10 seconds of consideration before a decision is made.

We've worked with everyone from Presidents to entry-level managers to make sure their resume makes the 'yes' cut." Our Top Ten Tips below will help make sure your resume gets the consideration it deserves.

Gilmore Partner's first rule of resumes: There is no perfect resume.

If you ask ten industry professionals what the keys are to the perfect resume, you will get ten different opinions. Listen to them all then choose the recommendations that best suit you. It's your resume - your opinion is the one that counts.

Gilmore Partners top ten tips to a killer resume:

1. It is a marketing document.
Design it to generate a response. Be sure to define your audience and speak directly to them. Make it easy for the reader to decide who you are.

2. It is a business document.
Be legible, credible and properly structured. 99% of resumes are now saved digitally so the content is way more important than the paper you put it on.

3. You are your brand.
Hijack the reader's thought process and deliver a clear message right off the top. Who are you? What makes you unique? (Tip: Who you are isn't always what you've done)

4. Create a profile vs. stating an objective.
Your objective is less important to the person reviewing your resume than their objective. State not what the company can do for you but what you can do for the company. Give them an Executive Summary that answers the question "Why should I hire you?"

5. Be who you are.
Use authentic words, genuine wording - not clichés. Be specific. Stay way from vague, all encompassing statements. Your honesty will create a bond without you being there.

6. Chronological over functional.
Gilmore Partners recommends a standard chronological order so that people are clear on where you've been, when, and for how long. (The exception to the rule is career transition - but you still want to make it easy for the reader to fill in the gaps).

7. Less Is More.

8. Education:
Your education should be listed in reverse chronological order as well, with your most recent achievements at the top as well as the associated dates. Usually, your high school education doesn't need to be listed if you have post secondary education.

9. Balance your responsibilities vs. your accomplishments.
Don't just tell the reader what you did - how will they know you did it well? Prove your success by using numbers, or demonstrate before and after results.

10. Bookend your resume with personality.
People hire the people they best 'relate' to. (i.e. assuming 5 equally qualified candidates, a hiring manager will always hire the one they like the best or remember the most). Use an "Interests" section to distinguish yourself and continue the theme of "being real". Don't put "References available on request" (everybody's are). Instead, end with something of curiosity, interest or playfulness - get people to remember you.

The goal of improving your resume is to get you an interview. But your resume will never get you a job. You will. If your resume isn't "working" move your job search from passive to active. Take the emphasis off the resume and on to the real deal: You!