By Andrea Davis

Humor me if you don’t mind. Yes, this article is called Resume Templates: How to Write a Great Resume Using a Free Word Resume Template. But before I get to the heart of the matter, let me indulge. I've been hearing from lots of jobseekers who are actively looking for work who say they've applied for tens or even hundreds of positions but are getting few, if any, interviews. They've sent their up to date resumes to multiple employers and search firms and they're frustrated by the lack of responses, even though they feel they're perfectly qualified for the job. They have the experience, skills and educational background that make them qualified candidates, but they're not getting anywhere. It must have something to do with the fact that there are just too many people competing for the same limited number of jobs. Right? Maybe so, but I think that's only part of it.

The tight labor market is certainly one reason why it's so tough to get a job these days. Companies aren't doing much hiring right now so you've got lots of people applying for very few jobs. But is that really why all of these people I've been hearing from aren't even getting called for interviews? As far as I'm concerned, the answer is no. It's one thing not to get the job. It's another thing not to even get called for an interview. If you're not invited for an interview, there's no chance of getting the job. So what's the problem? I'm sure all of these people have good resumes that highlight their experience, skills and educational backgrounds. Why are these people who have good resumes not getting called for interviews?

Notice I said "good" resumes. If you've read any of my articles about resume writing (for example Resumes that Rock (or any other experts' articles offering resume writing tips), a "good" resume just won't cut it. And that's true in good times and in bad times. It's especially true in tougher times like today, when there are so many qualified candidates out there applying for a small number of jobs. As I said, before you can get the job, you need to get the interview. To get the interview, you need a great resume. My guess is that none of the people I've been hearing from have great resumes. I don't mean to be critical, but when it comes to resumes, good just isn't good enough. Your resume has got to be great.

So what is a great resume? I'm glad you asked. Simply put, a great resume is one that addresses two important things. The first is form and the second is substance. When I say form, I'm referring to the structure of your resume. You can use a free word resume template to help you with the form of your resume ,or you can use the basic structure of below. Now let's talk about substance. Here's where I'm going to repeat what I've said many times before (but I can't overemphasize the importance of this point). A great resume does more than simply provide an inventory of your skills and the daily tasks you carried out for your last employer. Sure, you need to highlight your skills, but you need to show how your skills have been put into action. You need to focus on your accomplishments, on how you effected change. One example might be that you saved your former employer hundreds of thousands of dollars by implementing a new process that resulted in reduction of waste. Now I realize not everybody has had the kind of job where they had an opportunity to help their employer save substantial amounts of money, but everyone has accomplishments they can mention in their resume.

Here's what your resume should look like (and again, you don't have to use this particular form. You can use a free word resume template. There are lots of them available online):

The first section of your resume (usually the header of the page) should include your contact information so that the employer can reach you.

First Last Name
Street Address
City, State, Zip
Phone (Cell/Home)
Email Address

Profile/Objective
This part is optional but I recommend including it. It's a quick way for the employer to find out about your credentials and what you want do. This should be just two or three sentences. For example, you might say something like "Human resources professional with ten years experience seeking to apply leadership skills in a managerial position within the HR department of a publicly held technology company".

Career Highlights, Skills and Qualifications
This is one of the most critical parts of your resume. In this section you would list your key accomplishments and skills/qualifications. Again, I can't overemphasize the importance of this. And don't forget that your career highlights, skills and qualifications must be relevant to the position for which you are applying.

Experience
This section of your resume should summarize your work history. Here you would list the companies you worked for, dates of employment, the positions you held and a list of responsibilities and achievements. Here's where most people's resumes come up short. They simply list their responsibilities and the tasks they carried out for their former employers, but don't mention their successes. As I said before, you need to show how you effected change, how you made a difference, how you added value.

Education
List the colleges you attended and the degrees you obtained. Don't forget to mention any awards or honors you received.

Skills
Here's where you talk about your skills that are related to the position. So, for example, you might say you’re proficient at Microsoft Office applications, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc. You would also list any industry specific skills you may have.

References available upon request
You wouldn't actually provide a list of references on the resume itself, but you should be prepared to provide such a list when the employer asks. 

A great resume must cover all of the elements mentioned above. If you want to see other examples of how a resume should be structured, there are lots of sites that offer free resources. One of them is www.instantresumetemplates.com, where you can download a free word resume template for almost every purpose imaginable. In any event, while it's ok to use a free word resume template (or one that's not free if you've found one that's worth paying for) to create your resume, remember that form is not enough. You need substance if you want to get the interview.