Building a great résumé is not simple. Start with the question, “What is a résumé?” Stupid question to ask you might think, but not quiet. If you are looking to create a résumé and regardless of whether you have made one before or this is the first time, forget everything you know about it and start afresh. Start with the first question about what is a résumé as that itself determines the shape that your résumé takes from here on.
A résumé has 2 main purpose:
1)      Get you noticed when you résumé lies in a pile of a perhaps a 100 or more similar résumés applying for the same job. This means that while your qualifications and profile might be not very different from all other candidates, it should certainly be presented in a way that catches the idea.
2)      Second purpose is to get you an interview. People do not get jobs based on their résumés but the interviews. So your résumés should be built in a manner to evoke enough interest and even curiosity from the person reading it to call you for an interview. Even if your qualifications and experiences are not much different from other applicants, you must realize that even the résumés have the power of presenting a person in a manner so as to get the employer interested enough to call you for an interview. You must learn to harness this great power and the potential of a résumé.
 
Basic Principles of A great Résumé
 
Being Concise
One of the most accurate aspects of a contemporary résumé. Latest research says that a recruiter, on an  average, spends just about 10 seconds looking at each résumé. So that is all the time that you have to grab his / her attention. Remember, the idea of a résumé is to get that interview, not to get you the job. Avoid making a résumé lengthy and elaborate unless you have some very worthwhile credentials to fill it up with. Just try to get the recruiter’s attention. That is enough.
A single page résumés are appreciated. But if you need to use 2 make sure you put you basic details on the second page so that the more important aspects that will land you the interview are all there on the first one.
If you are using more than one page, use headers or footers with your name and phone number just in case the 2 pages should get separated.
 
Being Accurate & Honest
Nothing is more distasteful in a résumé than the implications of grandiosity and boastfulness. Do not exaggerate. Be very accurate. Do not stretch your qualifications and experiences. The people that are hired for HR development are experts and know more facets of employing the right people than you probably think. Not only are they knowledgeable about the field of work but can also read the psychology of a potential employee by the nature of his communication.
So if you are going to exaggerate, it is surely not going to help your cause any. Stick to the facts.
Never lie in a résumé. Employers verify everything that they do not know about your background and the prior experience. Even if the falseness of your résumé does not come out then, it had a very good chances of coming out anytime in the future.
The working community has become increasingly fluid. Do not believe that different companies and even competitor companies have no means of exchanging information. Not only do companies keep channels of communications open as far as verifying employee details are concerned, but people are frequently changing jobs. So never assume that your prior record is not accessible to the company where you are applying for a job.
If once you are labeled as someone who lies about their résumés, you will have a hard time bypassing that judgment every time you look for a job. No employer will hire someone who lies.
 
Focus of the Résumé
It natural, when writing a résumé, to focus on your achievements while describing your previous employment. Nothing wrong with this. In fact it is recommended. However, the approach to mentioning prior achievements can also differ.
While speaking of prior employment in your résumé speak from a employer’s point of view rather than your own.
Instead of writing of targets that you achieved, mention how the same targets benefited the company.
 
Being Neat
Nothing sends a wrong message to the employer quicker than an untidy résumé. No matter what your qualifications or ill suited you are to any job, the LEAST anyone can do is make sure that a résumé is neat.
Not only is it a matter of using good clean sheets and good quality printers, but also proper formatting of the résumé.
Print your résumé on fresh, plain white paper. If the paper is wrinkled, don’t use it.
There should be no stains on the paper. If there are throw it away immediately so that in the future if you need a copy urgently you only have the good ones. An untidy résumé is least likely to get the employer interested in you.
Hold your résumé up in front of you at arms length. Look at the shapes of the paragraphs on the paper. Are the margins equal? Is the spacing between paragraphs consistent?
Always check for spelling mistakes AND grammar. Never send in a résumé without running it with the spell checker on whichever word program you are using to type the résumé. Spelling mistakes are unforgivable. And yet, checking just the spelling in not enough. The grammar and the punctuation has to be just as immaculate.
The commonest mistake is that of changing tense in the sentence. Avoid using words like ‘you’re’ and ‘I’m’ instead of ‘you are’ and ‘I am’. Not only are you less likely to forget the punctuations but it is also better grammar.
Use common fonts and not a very fancy one. Stick to a regular size. Nothing less than point 12 in most cases.
 
Get it Reviewed 
A typical result of having written something yourself and having gone over it repeatedly a few times is that you develop blind spots. No matter how carefully you go over it, you are liable to miss a few mistakes in terms of formatting and grammar.
Having someone proof read your résumé will save you from inadvertent errors.
Also this person should be someone who is knowledgeable about these matters and someone who will be honest in pointing out your mistakes and criticizing you where required.
You need to respect this person enough so as to listen to this criticism and learn from it.
Choosing the right person is essential as you want the right advice and not just what THAT person thinks is right.
Go over the criticism carefully and take whatever advice you need to from that.
There is no point in going to someone who will not give you an honest opinion.
It is recommended to go to someone uninvolved but even if the person is known to you can assure them that they need to be honest with you as it for your own good.
You can ask them questions yourself in order to get a better opinion on what you think might be problem areas.
Think like an employer and ask them whether they can see the things that an employer would like to see or the ones that you as a aspiring candidate wants them to see.
 
Stay Up To Date
Stay current and up to date with your résumé. Keep adding what ever new information that you need to. It is highly recommended that you actually create fresh résumés for each new job application. Change the focus on yourself according to the requirements of the job. This does not mean that you make them up, but approach them differently where the qualities that are best suited for that particular job are highlighted the most.
Definitely write a new cover letter for each new job. A cover letter is essential as not only does it give you the chance to address the recruiter and the employer on a one to one basis, but provides some latitude in making the right impression about yourself.