Sometimes called a "personal branding statement," your USP comes into play during a crucial moment—a potential employer's first impression of you. So your USP is a one-sentence, short description of the "essence of you," recruiter and author Joe Turner says. While seemingly simple, a USP can be tough to prepare because the one-sentence should say three vitally important things: Who you are; your biggest strength; and the most important benefit that you could bring to an employer.

For the greatest impact, the benefit should be something measurable and the very best measure is dollars. For instance, Turner provides the following USP as an example: "Hands-on Operations Manager with strong people and team-building skills who has helped produce revenues of $2.8 million with a 22-percent margin for my previous employer." Turner offers free insider job-search secrets at www.jobchangesecrets.com.