There is no one perfect way to write a resume and no single foolproof way to land a job.

Preferences vary among companies, human resource officers, career counselors and resume writers. Much depends on who you are, whom you know and what you're seeking.

I recently wrote about a resume writer who said her clients were having luck with skills-based, or functional, resumes rather than chronological ones, particularly if they bypass the human resource department and pitch themselves straight to the manager they'd work for.

Some hiring professionals agreed with her. Some didn't.

As I noted then, many employers prefer - and in some cases, demand - chronological resumes to track your career path, job tenure and past job progression.

But I've been in meetings of human resource professionals where there was no agreement about how many years they wanted the chronology to cover.

Some want your entire work history. Some want only the jobs relevant to your current application. Some want at least 20 years. Others say only the past 10 are likely to be technologically relevant.

Then there's the advice to include all the buzzwords, or job requirements, listed in the job posting.

That's crucial advice if your resume is going to be read by computer scanners or front-line human resource assistants culling through mountains of applications.

The buzzwords will put you in the "in" pile.

But pasting in buzzwords isn't as important if you're selling yourself directly to the hiring manager who understands your transferable skills and how they fit his or her needs.

Before you pay someone to help you write your resume, spend some time looking at books that compile resume samples. Look for examples relevant to your career, not just pretty typefaces or formats.

Above all, to be effective, no matter the format, you probably should rewrite your resume for every application.

You must present yourself as a perfect fit for the target job. And one size never fits all.

Diane Stafford is the workplace and careers columnist at The Kansas City Star. Readers may write to her at: Kansas City Star, 1729 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108-1413.