As a hiring manager, what are you looking for in a resume?

[Karen <ekarenski-techwrl -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

I'm trying to rethink my approach to my resume as I am part of the unemployed masses. (My project died last week and they let all the contractors go first.)

When I look at the resumes of technical writers on the web, I see a wide range of approaches. 

Generally, I see the following approaches:

Tool-based: Focus primarily on the tools used for each job.
Documentation-type based: Focus primarily on the types of documentation produced for the client.
Project-based: Focus on the content and depth of the writing skills. Usually, incorporating the documentation-types and tool-based approaches above. 

Also, the resumes generally fall into the contractor with many jobs versus the employee with long periods of time at a few companies.

Depending on whether the position you're applying for is a sole technical writer or entering a technical writing/communications group, I think you're likely to encounter different types of hiring managers. In the first case, it is quite possible that the potential manager has had limited contact with technical writers and has never held a similar position. In the second case, the hiring manager may have previously worked as a technical writer or in a similar position and understands the interaction between the various business units.

Okay, I'm rambling a bit (and can't get through to unemployment which I have on speed dial.)

As a hiring manager, what are you looking for in a resume?
Do you think hiring managers with a technical writing background look for different things than one that is just getting to employee their first technical writer.

Any links to resumes on the web that you find particularly useful would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Karen
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