A resume  is the first thing that your prospective employer sees. It is very important for a candidate to have a good resume in order to attract the best prospects. In these tough economic times, competition over a particular job may be fierce, and any mistake in your resume can prove to be very costly. 

Here are some tips to make your resume stand out:

Length

Many of us make this mistake of thinking that having a long resume is the best way of attracting an employer. The truth is that you only have to put in the essential information that the employer may find useful. The number of pages doesn't make any impact whatsoever. In fact, in a lot of cases, it's better to limit the length to no more than a single page.

Keep Modifying

Each employer has his/her own needs and requirements and you must ensure that the resume you send to them is relevant to what the employer is looking for. Otherwise you won't be even called in for an interview. Make sure you make your resume as relevant to the job as possible. 

Things You Have to Include

There are certain things that are essential: Your contact details (an email address won't do here, so make sure to add your permanent address and phone number as well) and your education details starting from your high school education and ending with your latest degree are both essential. Of course, prior work experience is always a must.

Things You Shouldn't Include

There is no need for you to put in personal details like marital status, gender, and family details. This information adds nothing of any value to the employer and it only makes your resume unnecessarily long. 

Common Mistakes

Be careful with typos as it is one thing that really puts off employers. Stay away from using any fancy fonts. Use just one simple font throughout the resume and if needed underline or use bold letters. Lying of course, is a no-no. Finally, don't include your picture in the resume unless you are going for a modeling job. Most places don't really care about your selfie-taking skills!