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Most of us have the same resume. It consists of a list of jobs we have held in the past with a few bullet points telling the reader about the responsibilities for each role. While this has been standard practice for creating a resume, it does not necessarily show us in the best light.

Think about this for a moment. Does your resume highlight your strengths or your experiences?

Showing a potential employer your strengths is a great way to compete in today's labor market. This will also help to ensure that you are leveraging those strengths in your next role or position, which in turn, gives you continued motivation for success.

Take a look at your resume for a moment. Does it say, anywhere, where you are naturally talented? For example, let's say that you work in a strategic environment and your best asset is being able to see the big picture and create vision. Does your resume reflect that?

A Customer Service Manager might love helping to solve problems for other people. A school teacher might feel strongest when empowering the future generation. The chef might feel her best when she creates a unique combination of flavors. The salesperson might feel the most satisfaction not just for generating a sale, but for making a seamless match between a buyer and the right product for that buyer's needs. These are all examples of strengths which should be included on a resume. This is what a future employer wants to know about you before meeting with you in person. This is also how to differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack.

Do not wait until you go to a personal interview to reveal your strengths. In today's competitive market, you may not get to the interview if your resume is not generating a compelling story to the perspective employer.

Here are some things to consider. Which tasks in your current or previous roles have made you feel the most excited and energized? Which tasks felt like the most fun? Which ones did you look forward to tackling? Why did they make you feel this way? The likelihood is that these tasks allowed you to play to your strengths, those activities which you have power and passion around. They probably made you feel challenged in the way that you prefer to be challenged, so in turn, they felt effortless. Your resume should reflect these strengths.

Now it is time to go take another look at your resume. How can you modify it to ensure that your strengths are really coming through? Employers do not just want to know what you have already done. They want to know what you can do for them now and into the future. So make sure that you are sharing your strengths with potential employers. Both of you will benefit.