After you have gone through the initial resume reviews and revisions, use this technique to verify the final results. Provide your resume to a group of reviewers, ranging from professors to industry contacts to friends. Ask them to take just fifteen seconds to review the resume, hand it to them, hold them to the time limit, then ask what they remembered.

You have fifteen seconds or less to capture my attention. If you have not, I am on to the next one.

You will often be surprised what jumps off the page for them in those fifteen seconds. Keep in mind that fifteen seconds is usually the maximum amount of time an employer will give your resume in the initial review. If the key facts and points do not make their impact, you may need to change the order or emphasis to ensure that they do. It is only when your resume is able to pass this fifteen-second proof that it is truly ready for prime time.

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