Most people unnecessarily fret over the job of creating a winning resume. Creating an effective resume is easier than you think. You just have to know a few simple things that will transform your resume from a boring one to one that generates a job offer.

While there are programs out there that can "help" write a resume, nothing beats the human touch. Before you write or update your personal resume why not follow these tips to basic resume writing, to get you started.

1. Success Stories - (Use Them)

Success Stories should be the cornerstone of your resume. Without them, you are dead in the water. With bunches of them, you can now confidently relate how you approached a particular situation, came up with a solution and turned it into a win-win for both the company and yourself.

Remember though, you must back up the story with solid numbers that show how you affected that companies bottom line.

2. Experience & Achievements - (Match Them Up And Find Out What They Are Looking For)

Even if you have no exact relevant experience in the field that you are applying for, you can still demonstrate that you can be an effective employee functioning in that position. But how do you do that?

Using a structured list of facts allows you to impart relevant information about your skills and achievements to an employer as quickly and simply as possible. Give quantifiable evidence of your achievements where appropriate -- dollar amounts, percentages or other measurements -- to convince and impress an employer.

Most prospective employees end up answering every question asked with some long drawn out explanation that usually does not directly address the question asked. Don't make that mistake! Find out what they are looking for.

Sometimes you can impress the interviewer with one or two "case studies" of projects or achievements you've been a part of demonstrating the qualities and skills that you bring to the workplace.

But how do you do that, you ask? You must flush it out by asking questions that get them to tell you what skill sets they want in that position. Then you can proceed to satisfy those skill sets using the stories that you have sitting in your mind from past experiences.

3. Cover Letters - (Intrigue, Don't Bore)

Your cover letter should never attempt to summarize your resume, but rather point out features of your career, skills and accomplishments. Too many people drone on and on.

On average, hiring managers, or the people who screen resumes for those managers, will devote five to seven seconds to reading a cover letter, and fifteen to twenty seconds looking over a resume.

Keep it short and sweet. No need to overstate what should be obvious.

4. Relevancy - (No One Wants To Hear About Your Aunt Esther)

When you start talking, confine yourself to material that's relevant to the position you want and that sells your strongest skills. Highlight relevant skills that you will demonstrate later in your resume. Only include relevant information worth mentioning. If there is a company website, spend time visiting relevant areas to discover keywords that the employers themselves use.

5. Length - (You Can't Adequately Tell A Good Story In One Page)

Another mistake that people make is limiting their resume to only one page long. Put your skills and accomplishments on the first page and your history on the second page. Two pages should be sufficient for most people.

6. Objective - (If Their Looking For A Democrat, For Goodness Sake Don't Tell Them You're A Republican!)

Always find out the position that you are applying for and match it to your resume. Take for instance a person applying for management position and their resume says that their goal is to bring fantastic customer service to a company. The two do not necessarily match up.

What would be far stronger is for the resume to say that this person is looking for a management position. Then there is no doubt that they would fit if everything else seems to be in place.

7. Don't Use a Chronological Resume - (Don't Bore Them To Death. No One Wants To Hire A Boring - Out Of Work - Mediocre Employee)

Boring, boring, and more boring!!! Also it usually highlights the gaps in your work history. Not a good idea when applying for a job. It is much better to show off your skills and let those skills match up to what the company is looking for.

Writing a winning resume is easier than you think. You just have to know a few items to get those offers flowing and your bank account to start filling up again.