There are a million viewpoints on resume writing; length, tone, summary, skills, style, and format. No matter the style and length, I offer a simple resume writing tweak that applies to all. One that can help make a huge impact on the interest level of your potential employer-consider how it reads to a stranger.

More often than not, your potential employer will be a stranger. They will also probably be inundated with resumes from other equally qualified job seekers. For these reasons, the top third of your resume needs to make an immediate impact and inform the employer.

Marc Cenedella with TheLadders.com suggests, “Print out your resume. Take the top third and rip it off. Hand it to somebody you don't know. Can they tell you, without asking you any additional questions, what you want to do next?”

For too many job hunters, the answer is no. This is because you’re trying to do too many things with the top third of your resume. The person who’s reading the resume is trying to find out only one thing: Do you have what it takes to fill the position?

“Show them, at the very top of your resume, what job you want. If they can't tell, by reading the top-third of your resume, what you want to do next, then you're never going to get to the next step,” says Marc.

Great, simple advice.