Job seekers must recognize great skills and experience, excellent interviewing ability, and remarkable references no longer guarantee success in landing a position.

Just as a casting director auditions wannabe actors, so too does the human resources department or the recruiter want to make certain they have a perfect match for the role. Unlike the casting director, who sees and hear you read and having you assume the character of the play, the HR must go through a multitude of applicants in printed form in a prescribed amount of time. Too many hopefuls want the part, but only one or two will be called back for a final audition. The same is true of jobseekers’ resumes getting a call back for an interview.

Employers receive hundreds of resumes. As they wade through all the paperwork from hopeful applicants, what is the magic formula to ensure yours will be on the top of the pile with three or four others chosen to interview?

While you may see your skills and experience as a perfect match for a position, the company representative or the recruiter may see your credentials in a different light. Their motivation is to shorten that pile of resumes to the bare minimum; and then, to interview only a few top candidates.

A resume must show an established sequence of experience, for example, accounting auditor to department supervisor or from finance director to CFO. The progression process usually includes a requisite number of years of experience and separates entry level from the established industry leader.

If you made some unusual jumps along the way that helped expand your knowledge and savvy - perhaps into sales, product development or even manufacturing, your resume may confuse a screener. Your background will seem quirky, so even if you think you are an incredible find, your paper work may be discarded.

A well-designed resume will make connections clear.

For each non related job position listed on your resume, add bulleted items to show how the move fortified your skills for the position you are seeking. Use results presenting how the time in the sales department strengthened your understanding of finance.

Add a bullet point stating when you transferred from finance to sales and then back again, the company's specifically asked you back to the finance group because of your understanding of the relationship of sales to finance. It is your responsibility to make these links apparent. Crossing from function to function can be distracting to the hiring process.

Resumes must be targeted, use key words that will depict a picture for the reader. Use bullet points to make connections clear to get across the understanding, good judgment, and insight your varied projects have produced. Underscoring your value.

If you really want to make a jump from one industry to another, understand the process may be difficult and may not be a good use of your job search time. On the other hand, if you are persistent, and use finely honed networking skills, your face time may overcome the limits of the printed page.

Break a leg.