When selling yourself in the employment market, a resume is the material equivalent to a first impression. If executed correctly, this one document is your key to standing out in a crowd. It is important to note that a good resume is not created in one sitting. It takes time and several runs to create the perfect document to sell the best person you know - YOU!

The main purpose of a resume is to market yourself to potential employers. Anyone who submits a resume to a company or organization has one goal in mind - to land an interview that will eventually lead to a long and prosperous career.

Do not bury important information. When a position is advertised, employers get hundreds of resumes and do not want to waste their time searching through resumes for the relevant information. Make it easy on the employer to know if you are right for the job. Simple is better.

Avoid writing your resume in first person. A professional resume does not use words like I, me or my. You can write about yourself without writing a biography. Most resumes contain bulleted items, which avoid the use of sentences all together.

Demystify your name if androgynous. If you have an androgynous name, such as Pat, Chris, Lee or Robin, make it easier for the employer to pick up the phone and call you by using Mr. or Ms. before your name.

Have a professional e-mail address. Most employers now require you to have an e-mail address, and it is very important for it to sound professional. It may be fine for your friends to e-mail you at HotStud@whatever.com, but your potential employer may see as juvenile and toss out your resume.

Do not include pictures or URLs into your resume. These add clutter to a resume and increase the amount of time it takes to download the resume if you submit it electronically. Plus, including a picture of yourself can lead to problems - candidates should be judged for a position based on their qualifications, not their age, gender or race.

Avoid sending your resume in any format other than Microsoft Word. This format has become the business standard, and sending the resume in other file formats only increases the likelihood that the employer will not be able to open your resume. If you are not sure what format is preferred, call and ask. For information on e-resume formatting, click here.

Do not use hard to read fonts. Fancy fonts may look nice, but they are hard to read. Simple is better. A common font, which is easy to read (such as Times or Arial), is probably the best choice. 10-point is a size, which most people will be able to read easily. 12-point bold font is usually agreed upon as appropriate for headings.

Focus your objective statement. Make sure that your objective statement is relevant to the position that you are applying. Limit the objective statement to five or six words and customize for each job you are seeking.

Be honest on your resume. Many employers do extensive background checks before hiring a person. Lying to boost your qualifications or hiding information that happened in the past is likely to just get you into trouble.

Do not include personal information. An employer does not want to know your life history on your resume; he/she only wants to know your work and education history. An employer will most likely not take an applicant seriously if he/she includes hobbies, age, height, weight, marital status, etc.

Avoid the use of long paragraphs. Remember that employers are skimming through hundreds of resumes and they do not have the time to read a bunch of narrative. Use short bullet points to highlight your skills and employment history.

Avoid passive wording. Your teachers did not let you use it on your essays in English, so do not use it on your resume. Use strong verbs and proactive writing. Use Problem/Action/Result sentences.

Keep your resume short. Employers do not have the time to read through a lengthy resume. Limit your resume to a single page. Use a title and headings related to the job you are seeking.

Avoid fancy formatting. Fancy and poor formatting can make a resume hard to read. Make sure bullets are aligned and margins are set. Fancy tables, borders and background images create a resume that is hard to navigate. If you are sending the resume by computer, chances are the employer will not be able to load the page as you envisioned it anyway.

Always use dates in your employment history. If you do not put the dates for your previous jobs, it gives the impression that you are trying to hide something. If you were out of work for a long period of time, you may want to mention the reason for this in your cover letter. Most employers prefer to have previous jobs places in a chronological format.

Don’t be afraid to list your accomplishments. Employers want to not only know your work experience but your accomplishments while on the job. If while you worked as an administrative assistant, you helped upgrade the filing system, which saved the company both time and money, be sure to mention it. Your resume must show that you are not only confident in your abilities, but also capable. Instead of having “Responsibilities included” on your resume, have, “On-the-job Accomplishments.”

Do not include your entire work history. The general rule of thumb is to only go back 10 to 15 years, unless you held a position of particular significance for the job you are currently seeking.

Explain gaps in your work history. An immediate red flag to your potential employer is gaps in your work history. If you have sizeable gaps, you can list anything valuable you did during this time. For example, 1999-2003 full-time student and 1995-2005 full-time parent. If you cannot fit this information into your resume, try to explain it in the cover letter.

Include past job performance. Your resume is about you and the skills you possess that will benefit the employer. Be sure to highlight your past job performances. You are effectively marketing your skills. Do not be shy about mentioning your abilities and how well you performed in past jobs.

Add a customer reference section. No “real” job history? If you have never held a mainstream job or were self employed, be sure to add a “Customer Reference” section that will provide several good references of people who have worked with you.

Run a spell check. The easiest way to get your resume thrown in the garbage is to not run a simple spell check in Microsoft Word. After you have done this, have another person look over your resume for typos and poor grammar. A resume that is not proofed is very unprofessional.

Have more than one resume. If you have not narrowed down your choices and are applying to several different employers it is best to write a different resume for each one you are applying. This will allow you to specifically highlight the skills you would bring to that particular position.

Build your resume before you apply. If you lack appropriate work experience, you may find a place that will allow you to volunteer for a month or so. This will provide invaluable work experience and something to place nicely on your resume.

Include a cover letter. You are not finished once the resume is written. This is only half of the first impression.