How to Write Great Resumes Faster

* Create a "writing routine." Most professional writers overcome "writer's block" by creating rituals and using props to help them get into the writing "state of mind." Some common writing "crutches" include a favorite beverage, a special pen, familiar music, or writing at a certain place or time.

• If you can't start at the beginning, start in the middle. It's said that Ernest Hemingway always finished his day in mid-sentence so he could just pick up where he had left off without much thought.

• Create an outline and fill in the easy stuff first. Start by setting up the relevant headings (education, affiliations, associations, licenses, etc.) and then fill in the information under each heading. Start with the easiest sections (i.e., "Education") first.

• Write first, organize later. One of the most difficult parts of resume writing is often getting started. So just start typing whatever information you have; whatever comes into your head as you go through your client notes. Then go back through and organize it.

These tips are excerpted "Write Great Resumes Faster," available from Image Building Communications - Order here.

WANT MORE TIPS? Buy the book! You'll get more than three dozen actionable ideas, including how to develop a "write faster mentality," using technology to write faster and better, and more than a dozen strategies to help you overcome a blank page. Plus, dozens of alternate section headers (looking for a different phrase than "Work Experience?" We've got 15 alternatives); hundreds of accomplishment-stimulating verbs (alphabetized), dozens of personality traits and profile descriptors, hundreds of keywords -- and much, much more!