*Editor's note: This article originally appeared on Military.com on Dec. 28, 2006.

People judge you by what you accomplished, not by who you are. Therefore, you need to clearly specify what you have done on your resume. Recruiters assess what you can do based on how you have applied your experience and education in the past. This is why they quickly scan resumes for job titles, employment history and education level.

Executive search firms weed out candidates not qualified for their clients’ positions. With Internet resumes easily accessible these days, scanning numerous resumes is an efficient way to find appropriate candidates. Each resume gets at maximum 20 seconds to spark a recruiter’s interest. That is all you get.

Your goal, as a job-seeker, should be to have a resume that stands out. Recruiters know what they are looking for when scanning a resume. You should know what they are looking for as well.

Hearing a recruiter’s perspective may help you gain the insight that can potentially help you improve your resume and the chances of you getting the interviews you want.

When scanning a resume, recruiters typically look for:

• Common job titles – Recognizable titles that help them understand your job function and the field you work in (example: staff accountant, supervisor, manager, etc.).
• Educational titles — HSG, AAS, BA, BS, MS, MBA, JD, CPA, etc.
• Brand names — What well-known companies have you worked for? What schools did you graduate from?
• Industry specific language – These are keywords used within the job function that are specific to that type of job (i.e. legal terminology for a lawyer)
• Dates — Tells recruiters how long you have stayed at each position, how often you switch jobs and what time gaps exist. Dates should be formatted with both month and year.
• Characteristics/Skills — These are commonly listed at the top of the resume and highlight skills you have acquired and what corporate areas you have experience working within.*Note: most candidates do not have skills listed on the top of their resume.
• A Bullet … A quick, action oriented paragraph/sound-bite that has an action step and the result of that action. This should be concise, to the point and not more than 3 lines. It should also contain ‘KEY WORDS.”

A recruiter looks at all of these dimensions of the resume in less than 20 seconds. Only when a resume sparks a recruiter’s interest does he or she read it more closely. The recruiter then gives it about one additional minute.

If you are having trouble editing your resume, have two people look at your resume. Ask one person who works in your field whether your resume accurately and completely depicts your past job functions. Ask a second person outside of your field if he or she understands the general concept of your job from reading your resume. It is always helpful to get others’ feedback.

Keep in the back of your mind that recruiters screen out more people than they screen in. No one is going to spend time looking at a confusing resume. Resumes are quickly scanned, not studied. Do not get disqualified from a position because you have a confusing resume. Make sure your resume is concise, to the point and easily readable. Good luck with your resume writing endeavors and your job search.