The first thing your resume must be is functional. It is to give employer most information possible in one page. Resumes that are longer than one page are often put aside. Employers just don't have time to read every page. At best many just scan your resume and count on your cover letter and maybe an interview to glean anything else about you before you are considered for hire.

In order for your resume to be functional you group your skills into different sections and your titles at bottom. This is format people who are changing careers typically use. They don't want to draw attention to gaps in employment or their lack of direct experience.

The chronological resume is well organized listing of skills, education, and employment in order from most current experience backward or reverse order. The categories of your resume should be concise and relevant to position for which you are applying.

If you are fresh out of college and unemployed put your education first, directly below letterhead. You will list your school, your degree, your major and your graduation date. If space allows you can list your relevant course work, related academic awards, and/or your grade point average.

Other categories include relevant work experience, volunteer experiences and other skills such as computer skills, any publications you may have written or contributed to, and language skills as they might apply to position.

Finally, you will list your references or make statement “References will be furnished upon request. Let me give you important advice about references. Do not list someone as a reference unless you have obtained his or her consent to do so. You will want person you ask for a reference to be a former boss, teacher, long time friend who is familiar with your abilities, and possibly your clergyman.

The appearance of your resume is of paramount importance. The most obvious fact is it needs to be neat and all items must be spelled correctly. Correct information is of paramount importance especially if interviewer decides to check out your information. The format should be simple and plain. It should highlight your accomplishments.

The quality of paper you use to send out resumes should be of professional quality. Most job seekers use a paper that is not glossy and is a 20-weight paper. You should use same paper for your resume, your cover letter, and envelope. It comes across as being more professional.

The font should be clear and easy to read. The size of font is important. Personally I prefer a font of 12. It is clear and letters are not blurry as they can be with some fonts. The suggested font to use in your resume is a Sans Serif font such as Arial or Verdana. They are clear and stand out better in faxes.

When describing your skills in particular, use strong action words. Instead of starting a sentence with a noun use a strong verb. When using numbers use percentages, dollar amounts when describing money, and number of people you supervised if this is applicable.

Your resume should be one page only. The information should be presented as concisely as possible. There will be a place in cover letter and possibly an interview to expound on your skills. Resumes that are too long are often put aside because employers simply don't have time to read through lengthy dissertations. If it doesn't fit on one page try paring it down to bare minimum. The information must be relevant to position you are applying for. Do not forget to attach your cover letter.