Let's start off with some resume "dont's."

• References:  Your references should be included in a separate document.  Save valuable resume space for your experience, education and credentials.
• Salary history or requirements: These are discussion items when the prospective employer is close to extending an offer. 
• Unusual fonts or paper colors:  Make your resume stand out because of your experience and skills, not because you are using pink paper with a crazy font.  Use whitem off-white or light colored paper. Some firms and organizations may scan your resume in order to send to a hiring manager and dark colored paper will make it difficult to see the writing on the page.
• Pictures: Typically you won't want to include a picture unless you are applying for a position as a television network legal analyst.
• Personal information:  Items such as age, sex or marital status do not belong on your resume.

Resume "maybes" or "maybe nots."

• Objective:  As a former hiring manager, I've seen many resumes that started off with the candidate's "Objective."  Isn't the objective always going to be some version of  "acquire a position as ___________?"  I thought of it as wasted space and would rather see the candidate's experience, skills or education as the first section. 
• Skill summary or background paragraph:  Recently some recruiters and placement services have started to advise candidates with considerable skills and experience to start their resumes with a summary of those skills.  This advice is more relevant for candidates with many years of experience in a variety of positions.

Sample resumes that work:

Resumes Samples 1

Resume Samples 2

Compiled by Lori Webster Sieron and Lisa Coppolo McManus, Lexis Hub Staff