I, personally. receive 200 to 300 résumés a week. I personally use 200 résumés a week to find people jobs. Being on the front line, in the trenches, I know what works and what doesn’t regarding résumés. Creating a résumé that communicates effectively to the recipient that you are worth meeting to discuss their job is the goal. The resumé is only one step toward getting the offer, but it is important and has its place. 

1. Professional women overestimate the value of a résumé. I will discuss in depth the reasons people overestimate the impact of a résumé. But suffice it to say, the value of your résumé in getting you a job, let alone an interview, isn’t what you think! Having said that, there are aspects of your résumé that can almost be magical.

2. People aren’t aware that the average résumé is read in 10 seconds. Most people think that someone is going to peruse, digest, dissect, read over and over, their résumé. The truth is that an interviewing or hiring authority glances at résumés. They look for companies they recognize, longevity of jobs held and may be a few other things. That is it! They then determine to read it in-depth at a later date. If your résumé doesn't grab attention in 10 seconds, it is filed in the circular file. Write your résumé to meet the "10 second challenge."

3. People underestimate the number of résumés that interviewing or hiring authorities receive. It is not uncommon for an interviewing or hiring authority to receive 200 to 300 résumés for every opening. With the advent of the "send" button, these people get overloaded with résumés even when they aren't looking to hire. It may be essential to take steps to avoid this "résumé race" (where no one really wins)!

4. Professional women overestimate the qualifications of the people that will screen, read and or "pass" their resumé along. If you think the "right’ people are reading your résumé … you are wrong!

5. Business women write the wrong content in their résumé. Even the most experienced professionals write the wrong content in their résumé. They write résumés that they understand instead of résumés that will be understood by the people that matter … the ones that can get you an interview. If a high school senior, who doesn’t know you, can’t read your résumé and understand exactly what you have done, who you have done it for and how successful you were, you have the wrong content in your résumé! For instance, people report names of companies they have worked for, never explaining what the firms do. They make the assumption that since they know who their company is and what they do … everyone else does too.

6. Résumé formats are distracting. This appears elementary, but most résumés don’t get read because of their distracting formats. These formats, even recommended by supposedly professional résumé writers … who never found anyone a job … don’t work!

7. "Cover letter cover-up!" Cover letters are as overrated as résumés. Most of the ones that are written totally destroy the chance of getting even a good résumé read.

8. One size fits all. This is the mistake of sending the same résumé to all of the people or job opportunities you are perusing. Learn how to customize your résumé for success in different environments as well as for different opportunities.

9. Mistakes of: length, objective, summaries, dates, titles and other basics. It is amazing how the execution of these simple issues can defy common sense. The sheer length of most résumés, for instance, ensures that they will never be read. "Objectives" on the vast majority of résumés eliminate most candidates right off the bat. "Summaries" can kill your chances of being interviewed.

10. The wrong résumé "strategy." Ask the average job seeker what kind of strategy he or she has for ensuring her résumé will get attention and get them an interview and you’ll get a blank stare! In other words, other than the "send" button, she has none. Big mistake. There are strategic activities a candidate should do before they send the résumé, as well as after they send it. Increase your odds of getting an interview at least 50 percent using the right strategy.

Written originally for w2wlink.com by Tony Beshara. See his new book: Acing the Interview: How to Ask and Answer the Questions that Get You the Job