Dear Rachel ,
I am putting together my resume for my second post-college job hunt. I've been at my agency for four years now and got a minor promotion last year, but I'm ready to test the waters. Still, the resume looks pretty thin to me. How can I jazz it up and get attention without exaggerating or lying? I'm scared I won't stand out from all the other junior buyers. --  New York Gal

Dear Gal,
In the broadest sense, a resume is a marketing tool in which you are selling yourself.

But to get a practical sense of the purpose of a resume imagine a person sitting at a desk in a room in front of a stack of resumes.  He's going through them, placing some resumes on a pile on the right. That's the let's-take-a-closer-look pile. Others land on the left pile, the forget-about-its.

The purpose of a resume is to get you on the pile on the right, and what that person sees at first glance often determines which pile your resume lands on.

So you want to include the right information, having it right up top, and leave off all the extraneous stuff, especially all the verbiage about how great you are.

Now to your resume.

Four years is a good amount of time working in media, and we can assume you have the skills and experience to land you on the let's-take-a-closer-look pile.

I talked to a couple of headhunters who gave me some tips on polishing your resume so it will stand out. Patricia Sklar, president of the Chicago recruiting firm Sklar and Associates, suggests that you add some areas of achievement outside of your routine work.

This will allow potential employers to see you as a three-dimensional person with winning qualities who would play a strong role on their team. 

“It always looks good to show leadership, so add a line for honors and awards in college and work,” Sklar says. “Add a line for interests. Say if you have run a marathon or are an avid movie-goer, etc. This is a good ice-breaker in an interview. And volunteer. Again, this is a way to show leadership and commitment to the community.”

Resume format also is key. 

“Because your current experience is the most important part of your resume, move your education down to the bottom and remove your college internships and other part-time jobs,“ suggests Kurt O’Hare, president of the New York City recruiting firm O’Hare and Associates.

“Under each of your titles you should include the accounts you've worked on, markets you bought, media (TV, cable, radio) and spending levels. Also include promotions, research, posts and any special achievements. In addition, list the research tools and buying software you've learned to work with. Try to use bullet points since it makes your resume easier to read.”

Now some things to avoid:

Don't lie or exaggerate your background or experience. Assume you'll get caught, whether you actually would or not. You want your resume to not only be genuine in fact but to reflect who you really are as a person.

That's the person who will get the job, not the fabricated persona. And if you fake your resume, even if you do not get caught, you will be stuck with those lies long after you get the job, worried that something will come out.

Don't go to a professional resume service. Look on the internet for a basic format for your resume, but write it yourself, then maybe show it to friends.

You want what ends up on paper the real you, not the person some resume service cooks up.

As O’Hare suggests, leave off those low-paying part-time jobs you had in high school or college. No one needs to know you delivered pizzas.

Keep your resume clean and simple, at one page and perhaps part of another.

Don't use a fancy script or brightly colored paper. Both are a distraction.

Leave off references and leave off "References available upon request." All that comes way later.

Do include a cover letter but keep it very simple. Explain that you are applying for the job as advertised in Media Life or elsewhere and feel you are qualified to fill it.

Remember, all you want is to get onto the let's-take-a-closer-look pile.  You want to get your toe in the door. The selling of you the candidate and the person comes after the agency decides to give you that closer look.