When you think of leadership, historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln or Ronald Reagan might come to mind. But have you ever seriously thought about what such a leader would put in his resume? If Lincoln or Reagan had sought acclaim in the business world rather than in the political sphere, it's entirely possible that they would have both created stunning resumes, based on their insights into the keys to success.

Of course, you don't have to be a world leader to evidence leadership abilities. In fact, you can demonstrate your leadership in the classroom, on the hockey field, or on your local Parent-Teacher Association. If you have served as a leader in your personal life, chances are you can be an effective leader in your workplace as well.

But it's one thing to serve as a leader on the job. It's quite another to find a way to put into words what you've been able to accomplish in your professional career. Undeniably, your best opportunity to inform a potential employer about your leadership abilities is through your resume. Updating your resume with the latest evidence of your leadership skills is especially critical if you are in the market for a new position.

Spotlighting instances demonstrating your leadership in the workplace is an essential element of an effective resume—particularly if you are hunting for a managerial post. Given the highly competitive nature of all major industries today, an individual is not likely to be hired in a supervisory position unless he or she has been a tested leader.

You can think of a resume as being a type of sophisticated sales letter. With your resume, you are, in essence, selling yourself to a human resources manager or corporate executive. As a result, you must be able to package your product—yourself—in the most appealing way possible. A key element of that packaging is citing instances when you have functioned as a trendsetter on the job.

Even if you are a long-time veteran of the workforce, you might have difficulty coming up with a list of career highlights demonstrating leadership. This is because—to our own detriment—many of us simply do not perceive of ourselves as leaders. Even if we have achieved managerial positions, we might consider our success to be a function of good timing or instrumental contacts, rather than our own leadership ability.

If you have served as a project manager and you managed to complete the project on time and under budget, you have shown your leadership. This is true whether you were working in a solo capacity or as part of a team. Consequently, in your description of your duties in various positions, be sure to include examples of successful project management. The more specific the information you provide about goals and outcome, the more effective your resume will be in attracting the attention of a prospective employer.

You can also show off your leadership potential by citing instances when you worked particularly well with other people and for other people. For example, if your department received a customer service award, be sure to list it and the contribution you made to the effort. In today's business climate, interpersonal skills and communication skills are exceptionally important in order to be an effective, results-oriented employee.

Keep in mind that you do not have to serve in a supervisory capacity in order to show your leadership acumen. If you served as a coordinator for a particular assignment…helping other employees to fulfill their duties…you are definitely leadership material and your resume should reflect that fact. This is especially true if your team aided in the development of a new service or product.

In addition, do not overlook instances in which you coordinated the efforts of volunteers. In many organizations, volunteers play a critical role; therefore, a number of employers look favorably on volunteer experience. It is important to remember that, just because a particular position is unpaid, that does not mean that it is not valuable. If you headed up a blood drive in your community…if you helped organize a local Red Cross relief effort…if you spearheaded the effort to raise funds for a playground for children with disabilities…you are definitely on the "leader list." You can easily cite such experiences in the Community Service section of your resume.

You might also consider adding a unique 'personal strengths' section to your resume. Within this category, you can include phrases that are indicative of leadership, such as "known as a motivator," "received favorable performance reviews for relating to co-workers, clients, and customers," "amenable to change" or "recognized for promoting harmony within a team environment." While such a resume category might not be customary, it can certainly be helpful to an employer trying to assess your leadership potential.

When an individual first attempts to highlight his or her leadership skills, the job seeker might be tempted to engage in boasting in order to demonstrate confidence. Because of this, you must be careful in the manner in which you word your leadership skills on your resume. For instance, rather than labeling yourself as "an inspirational leader," describe those cases in which you showed inspirational leadership. Showing—rather than telling—is the essence of effective writing—especially effective resume-writing.

It may take a great deal of reflection for you to find ways to show your leadership within the context of your resume. In addition, you might need to engage in some research—interviewing past bosses, co-workers, and friends—so that you can develop a fair assessment of your leadership capabilities. However, once you discuss your desire to document your leadership skills, you might be amazed at the enthusiastic response you receive from past and current associates. After all, the mark of a true leader is the individual's ability to motivate others to go beyond their personal comfort zones and achieve a level of excellence they had never thought possible.

This article was written by the certified professional resume writers and career coaches of Resume writing service. The associates at Professional Resumes will help create a winning resume tailored to your best needs. See why hundreds of people are discovering the benefits of a professional resume written by Professionalresumes.com. And, unlike other firms, you're guaranteed to be 100% satisfied with your new, professional resume or, your money back. Reproductions of this article are encouraged, but must include a link pointing to http://www.professional-resumes.com/