Someone just handed me a stack of resumes to review. This isn't the first time. We go through resumes for job applicants as a team, and interview the ones who seem most likely candidates. We posted an opening for an administrative position, and got at least 100 responses.
So here are some secrets from the "inside." If you, or someone you know is seeking an entry level position, then some of these things might be helpful to know. This is all based on my own experience in reading resumes, and it is probably primarily applicable to entry level positions, because that's the kind of resumes I read.
The main thing to understand is that there's a lot of competition. People are going to look at every single detail that you provide, and you need to do something to stand out from the 99 others. More below the fold.
Every resume reader is different, and we all have our hot buttons, but a lot of this advice will be applicable to everyone.
First, include a cover letter. Make it obvious that you have read the job posting and that the letter has been written in response to it. Explain why you are the best candidate for the job. If you have a job now, tell me why you want the job I'm offering instead. When all I get is a resume I wonder if maybe someone else made the resume for the applicant. A cover letter gives me some feeling for the person. Can s/he spell? Does s/he know how to punctuate? Can s/he put two thoughts together? There are few jobs that do not require communication skills, so show yours to your best advantage.
If you are mailing your resume, then consider that I may well see the envelope! If you are emailing, then consider your email address.
If you are emailing your resume, write something in the body of the email (in addition the cover letter). It shows you care. It can be a single line even. Make your resume a pdf file if you can. If you send a Word document instead, then stick with basic fonts like Arial and Times. Don't send a resume made in any other software, unless you are certain the person receiving it has that software, because if I can't open it, I can't read it. Also, don't paste your resume into an email unless they tell you. I've never seen a resume in the body of an email that looks as good as a resume that's a separate document.
If the job is, e.g., administrative assistant, then don't have your objective to be to obtain an accounting position, or anything other than whatever the job posting is for.
Make sure you don't have any mistakes anywhere. Make sure your dates are current, especially if you have graduated but your resume shows "2006 - present" for your school. Make sure all your tenses and cases match. If you put periods after your bullet point items, then put them everywhere. If you have one run-on sentence or one sentence fragment, I might look past it (if the rest of your resume is strong enough), but two probably ends your chances.
If you're applying for an entry level job, then I pretty much won't consider you if you have a two page resume. If you can't tell me what's important about your background in one page then you're not qualified.
If you have a work history, but you've been unemployed for a few years, then explain what you've been doing -- otherwise I'll think you're a slacker. If you've had a lot of short employment periods, explain why, especially if it was with a temp agency -- otherwise I'll think you keep getting fired. If you've done something that would indicate you have self-discipline then mention it. Examples might include volunteer work or sports.
If you have a long history, be careful about listing skill that seem to relate to things you did a decade ago, because I will wonder if you have kept current. If you have a real-estate licence, don't tell me unless it's a qualification for the job. Unless you have a specific reason, you probably want your resume to look conventional.
Remember that I'm not going to ask any follow up questions or try to answer any of the questions your resume might raise in my head. If there are any unanswered questions, I'm just going to look at the next in the stack. Out of 100, I know there will be at least 10 strong candidates.
Oh, and don't list "social networking" as a skill.