Most of us update a resume, apply for a job, and 1 out of 4 times end up getting a job that we do not like for various reasons - wrong job fit, less pay package, no rewards, yada yada. Take you r lives in control and avoid these nine sins when writing your resume.

1. Keep updating your resume - Do not wait until you a job posting to apply for a job. Keep a list of what tools that you worked on, client project details, client contact s for references. Keep updating your working resume so that you can plug and play around with your resume when you see that elusive job opening.

2. Short n Sweet Goals - Keep your objective crisp. First impression is the last impression. Therefore, the job that you are applying to and your objective should match. An example would be “My short term goal is to work as a database administrator and eventually move to managing a team”

3. Accomplishments, Achievements matter - A recruiter is not interested what a payroll system did; he or she is interested to understand what you did as a DBA with that payroll system. Did you fine-tune the database? Did the response time go up and thus the downtime? Your skills are best highlighted through your achievements. So do not be shy, talk about it.

4. The Nitty Gritty - Do not get bogged down writing five pages resume that you had worked with a Fortune company in Hawaii or Madagascar. The point is to eliminate old job details. Does it matter to a recruiter that you worked on Oracle 6.x in 1997 NOW? No hope, so focus on your last few jobs.

5. Your Personal Life - Keep it at home. A recruiter especially the hiring manager is not interested in your personal life. No one is interested whether you lead a soccer team or you were exceptional in music. Tell the reader how you can manage databases, show your ability to work in a team, manage projects, deadlines etc.

6. Educational Qualifications - Keep it chronological, Month and year of graduation is good.

7. References: Think about it - Will you provide the name of your realtor or bank manager? Not? Even if you provide, if I call your banker will he/she understand the purpose of the call? No never, provide references.

8. Language, Spelling, and Grammar - Always do this. Check the document properties in your word document before you send a document. You do not want your company name, friend's name in your document.

9. The Package - Whether you send an email, fax, mail, or post - package your resume - do not fold, print on the right quality of paper, no color please (thank you). Finally yet importantly, as mentioned before Resume is your Product that you use to sell yourself to get a job. So think about it, highlight your achievements, differentiate your resume, and customize it for each job opportunity.