Many people don’t realize is that if you put your resume together without much thought or reason, simply writing down your life’s story and distributing it to potential employers, chances are you’ll experience less than impressive results. In fact, you’ll probably end up in the unenviable position of joining the 80% who are dissatisfied with their jobs and wondering why the good opportunities are eluding you.

The quality resumes for today’s job market are the ones that are constructed in a strategic and methodical manner. As such, one needs to invest ample time, research, and energy in developing a comprehensive and focused resume. And in the process demonstrate to a prospective employer that you can solve his/her problems and meet his/her specific needs, and therefore, warrant an employment interview.

To effectively convey that you can meet the needs of employers, you must have specific goals and objectives. Too many job seekers have vague, ambiguous, or uncertain career goals. They say, “I want a good paying job with a growth-oriented company” or “I’m open to most anything.” As a result, statistics show that approximately 90% of all resumes being circulated don’t do justice to the candidates they describe.

There is no doubt that the quality of your life is a matter of choice and not a matter of chance. As such, people need to manage their career (as they would other aspects of their lives) and should consider the resume a “career management tool.”