How many pages should my resume be? What should I focus on? We have put together to tips to writing common questions when writing a resume.

One of the most often used tools in the job search is the resume. While a great resume can work to your advantage by highlighting your talents and experience and helping you get your foot in the door, a poor resume with grammatical or typographical errors can just as easily sink your chances of getting to the next step in the employment process.

Here are some tips, gathered from Keystone recruiters with years of experience in the employment industry, that may help you dust off and polish up your information.

• Be Concise but Complete: Many people try to squeeze their resume onto one page, because they’ve heard resumes shouldn’t be longer. You may delete impressive achievements by not being complete in the interest of space. On the other hand, flowery statements or too many details may lose a reader in the beginning. When writing your resume, focus on accomplishments and tasks that help you sell your talents and that are pertinent to the position.
• There’s No “I” in Resume: A resume is a formal business communication from you to a prospective employer. There should be no use of “I” or “me” in your description of your experience. Instead, focus on action words to convey your meaning. After all, the whole thing is about YOU!
• Check Spelling and Punctuation: One of the more common resume blunders include grammatical, typographical and spelling errors. Someone who is the manager suddenly becomes the “manger.” A simple error can land your resume in the “NO” pile. Proofread and show your resume to several friends to have them read through the document for errors.
• Focus on Job Duties not Personal Information: Employers agree that personal information on a resume does not make an impact on their hiring decisions. Therefore, include your employment related accomplishments, but edit out personal information such as photos of yourself, age, height, family status, or hobbies (unless they contribute to your employment objective.) The exception to this would be if you are seeking a job outside of the U.S. where employers are more open to reviewing that type of information.