DENVER -- Resume writing workshops are not just for people new to the workforce.

One of the several statewide Colorado Workforce centers, Arapahoe/Douglas Works, is seeing a changing demographic in their classes. They say more mid and upper level managers, and experienced college graduates are attending.

In this economic downturn, jobseekers of all levels are looking for ways to stand out from the competition.

Resume workshop attendee Denise Nolte was laid off from her job as a teacher nearly two months ago.

"It's very competitive. I hear that up to 200 if not more people apply for one position," she said.

Dan Lucke, an employment specialist at Arapahoe/Douglas Works, said that jobseekers need to stay current with resume writing skills due to the ever-changing demands of employers.

"I've been teaching this workshop for eight years and I've never been able to keep the same presentation longer than four months. Things have been changing that quickly," Lucke said.

Lucke says that the sole purpose of a resume is to get a job interview.

"You need to show the potential employer that you can do the work, that you have the skills to do the work," he said.

So how do you compete with hundreds or even thousands of other people for that one job?

So how do you make your resume stand out from the pile? Or make sure that it's not dumped in the trash? Here are some tips provided by Arapahoe/Douglas Workforce Center.

Top Do's

Put your name, address, phone and e-mail at the top center of the resume, and don't use an e-mail such as sexyxxx@yahoo.com. It won't impress the employer one bit. Open a special e-mail account just for job search, and make sure that account sounds professional, such as your_name@aol.com.
Remember your resume has only one purpose: to get you an interview. It is a marketing document, not your life story. Don't make it too long or include too many details.
Look at key words in the ad or job description for which you're applying and use those key words to highlight your skills. Make sure the skills you have that the employer most needs and that you most want the employer to see are listed near the top left of the resume. At best, someone looking at your resume will spend around 10 seconds and scan it from top left to bottom right, looking for those key words. If they aren't there, your resume may go in the "no" pile.
Don't just list the duties you were entrusted with -- list results you obtained. Try to quantify these results whenever possible, example: Developed new process for mail room that boosted productivity by 5 percent.
Be honest. If you lie on your resume, you will eventually be found out and fired.

Top 5 Don'ts

Don't use one "boilerplate" resume for all job openings. Take the trouble to customize the resume for each open position using key words from the ad or job description.
Don't put your photo on the resume, or include too much personal information.
Don't lie about your educational attainment (most common), or your experience. Jobs in the 21st century require too many technical skills and ultimately, you'll be found out and fired.
Don't use all caps, or too much bold or underlining. Remember your resume may be scanned, and different "creative" formats may cause the machine not to pick out your skills. Stick with traditional fonts such as Times New Roman or Arial.
Don't ever have typos or poor grammar on your resume. Your resume reflects you, and if it is sloppy and filled with errors, that is how the employer will think your work would be, should they hire you. You will end up in the "no" pile even if you are otherwise qualified.