Your resume is the first thing that a potential employer will see, so you need to make sure that it's telling them that they need to hire you. This is especially important if you want roles in communication and marketing. They're roles that are in demand, so you need to show that you're the best. Here's ten rules that will make sure that secure that all important interview.

1. Focus on career events

The longer you've been working, the more experience you have to draw from. What have been the most important events in your career so far? Which ones have been leading you up to applying for this job? Make sure you include them in your resume, and show just how you got the experience needed to make you the right person for the role.

2. Show in depth accomplishments and why they mattered

So you managed to launch a social media campaign in your old job? A lot of people can do that. What you need to do is show your potential future employer why it mattered. Give them the numbers. Show them how it affected the company. If they can see what an impact you can have, they'll be much more inclined to interview you.

3. Pay attention to your contact information

When you include your contact details, be mindful of what you're including. You may think you're up to date with an email address, but using an AOL address rather than a Gmail one can show you're out of touch. Vet your contact details, and see where you need to make changes before you send that resume out.

4. Use tools and services for that extra polish

No one is a success all on their own, and that means you'll want help with your resume. There's plenty of tools online that you'll want to press into service to make your resume that extra bit special. If you want to enlist specialist writers, try BoomEssays, Resumention, UKWritings, or Assignment Writing. To check your grammar, spelling and length, try Australian Help or Easy Word Count. If you want to use templates to help create your resume, try Live Career.

5. Showcase yourself in 10 seconds

Most people applying for jobs now know about the '10 second rule'. Potential employers will scan your resume and within 10 seconds, they can decide whether they want to interview you or not. If you want them to see you favourably, you need to make sure your main points are bold and easy to read. Make sure they see what's so great about you before they stop reading.

6. Use keywords

Think keywords are what you'll have to worry about when you land the job? You'll actually have to keep them in mind long before that. Potential employers will scan your resume for keywords, so keep your job ad in mind when you're writing. Use the right words and they're much more likely to pay attention.

7. Tell a story rather than listing your jobs

Listing your jobs is dull, and doesn't really tell the reader about your relevant experience. Instead, try creating a story with your past roles. Show them why you took each role on, and what you got from the experience. They want to see why your experiences have brought you to applying for their role.

8. Use highlights that align with your target role

Every resume should have a 'highlights' section, that outlines the absolute highlights of your career. The reader doesn't want to know exactly what you did every day, they want to know how your actions benefited the company you worked for. Keep this in the top third of your resume, to draw the reader in before they carry on and find out more about you.

9. Proofread, proofread, proofread

Poor grammar can give a bad impression of you no matter how good your experience is, so keep it out of your resume. Proofread your finished piece and make sure that nothing has slipped past you. This is where the tools mentioned above can come in very useful. Even better, ask someone else to go over it and weed out any mistakes that you have missed. You'd be amazed at what can get past your critical eye.

10. Be yourself

This tip sounds rather trite, but it's actually vital. Write your resume with the job in mind, but don't make yourself out to be something you're not. Potential employers are looking for your experience, and it won't help if you're saying things you think they want to hear. Just be yourself, and you may be surprised at how far you get.

Give these tips a try the next time you're writing a resume. You'll be surprised at just how much better it can make it look.

Mary Walton is a professional editor and online tutor, currently living in Santa Monica.