1. It is important that you print both your resume and covering letter, as some people's handwriting is difficult to read. If it is printed, you are assured that the recruiter will at least begin to read the application.

2. Copies should only be made using a laser or bubble jet printer. It is not appropriate to use a dot matrix printer, copier or a fax.

3. The best font for paper based resumes is Times Roman. Courier, Monaco, Arial or Verdana fonts are also effective for electronic resumes

4. It is acceptable to change the size of the font throughout the document, but you should not change the font style.

5. A rule of thumb regarding font size is to use 10 to 12 point for the body and 11 to 14 point for headings. Make sure that they are in proportion and that there is not too significant a difference in the sizes: if you are using 10 point in the body, don't use 14 point for the heading. Be aware that the font size as it appears on the screen may not necessarily correspond with the printed version.

6. Headings should be in bold.

7. Black or dark blue should be used throughout the application. One reason for this is that it is much easier for the company recruiter to make copies for distribution to relevant people if the ink used is the darkest.

8. The best color paper is either white or ivory with envelopes to match. Dark paper is harder to photocopy if it is to be distributed as for the previous point. You should aim for the greatest contrast between the ink and paper.

9. Use standard margins, which are 1 inch at the top and 1.25 inches on each side. Be sure that your text is not crammed onto the page. A "busy" page is very off-putting.

10. Keep the document pristine - no smudges or coffee stains!

11. Likewise the paper should be clean and unwrinkled.

12. Don't use italics and underlining as these do not allow for effective scanning onto databases.

13. The same applies for the use of bullet points as optical software doesn't work very well with them.

14. Avoid lengthy, wordy paragraphs.

15. Ensure that you have a mixture of short and long sentences as this adds interest.

16. Use the white space on the page. Ideally, each section should have 3 carriage returns between them. These "pauses" in the document will aid the reader

17. Resumes should ideally be posted or emailed. Faxes should only be used as a last resort. Faxes are not confidential and provide a poor quality document at the other end.

18. The jury is out regarding the alignment of headings. Most resumes will have headings aligned to the left or center - this is entirely your choice.

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