Does your resume begin with a section like "objective," "professional summary" or "summary of qualifications." If so, I've got bad news. Your resume stinks.

A big chunk of the resumes I see each week contain these paragraphs - normally the very first thing the reader sees. You will also see them recommended in just about every “how to write a resume” book on the market today.

These paragraphs are useless and counterproductive. Take the typical “objective” line (I pulled this off an actual resume I recently received): “OBJECTIVE: A position as an administrator/coordinator.” This says that the resume is about what you want - a job - and not what you can do for the company. That is a dumb way to start the conversation about your next job.

Why would you waste this precious space at the top of your resume, where your reader will be making the crucial decision about whether to read further or to toss your resume in the trash? If you have a line like this on your resume delete it now.

The fist lines of your resume better grab the hiring manager by the throat and not let go. You need to start with a bold declaration about what sets you apart - this is a great place to state your "brand" or your "unique selling proposition"

Make sure that the information you put at the top of your resume is written with the hiring manager in mind. Summarize your business results, and pick things that you believe are business problems facing your prospective hiring manager now. Get your 2 or 3 “highlight” results near the top of your resume and you'll start getting calls for job interviews.