[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJK6exfCgfU&w=560&h=349]

Everyone’s resume could use an update, and Dice is filled with advice on how to improve yours. Here’s some more advice, this time from Kathy Alberts and Sondra Card, two tech recruiters who led a session at Silicon Valley Code Camp entitled “Powerful Resume and Cover Letter Writing.” I asked Alberts and Card for to tell me some key elements that should be on every resume. Here’s their advice:

• Scannability – Visually needs to be clear and well-formatted with headlines and spacing. Recruiters see tons of resumes, so it's important that they can pick up the basics in five seconds. Highlighted accomplishments – Whatever you’re really proud of, let them know.
• Education – If you went to a really good school, present that prominently.
• List chronologically – Need to show most recent projects first and show time.
• Manage the gaps – If you took time off, that’s okay, but you’ll need to explain it. Show that you did something during the time -- like a side project or took courses to maintain your education.
• Have a third party edit it – Make sure there are no typos, weird spacing, grammatical errors, etc. Simple mistakes can put you in the “Don’t” file very quickly.
• A resume is a communication tool – Too much information is not good communication. Half the resumes Card sees are a jumble: They're not prioritized and the individual is trying to summarize 12 years of experience in half a page. Remember your resume is designed to communicate your value, not tell your life story.