Producing a quality resume doesn't inevitably mean you have to follow any kind of guidelines and do as everyone else does; there is no hard and fast rule as to how many pages you should create, or a specific format to follow. Think of it as a way to show your personality and use it for the unique marketing communication that it is.
A resume is a tool to introduce yourself to potential employers and its specific purpose is to get you one step further towards a job by winning you an interview, so taking the time to research how to write an effective one is time well spent. Both the cover letter and resume are the first impression potential employers have of who you are so it's very important you do everything in your power to make it past these first stages.
Think of your resume as a form of advertising as that is exactly what it is - you are marketing your skills and experience in order to win the desired position. You have to let them know the many benefits they’ll receive by employing you, and that you have what it takes to be successful in this new position or career.
The most essential part of any resume is your personal key achievements which should include anything deemed above and beyond what is typically required from that position. For instance, say you are an office manager and on top of completing all the expected duties for someone in that position, you also introduced an office recycling scheme, or improved customer service and increased sales. Remember you are selling your skills and expertise and your prospective employers don’t know anything about you and your achievements unless you tell them, this isn't a time to be shy!
Hard facts are also better than generalisations, try to give details, times and statistics as this will create a far better sense of your achievements. If you write that you 'exceeded sales targets' it doesn't tell them that much, try to be more specific, for example 'exceeded sales targets by 60% for 3 successive months', now you are talking. This shows you are a motivated individual who isn't afraid to work hard, and gets results - what employer wouldn't be interested in wanting to find out more?
Another fundamental aspect to a good resume is to demonstrate you are a team player and can work well with others; it's all very well getting results but if you can't fit into the existing organisational structure and culture then the company may have a problem. They need people who are friendly, approachable and have good social skills - try to give examples where you can demonstrate these abilities.
If you have an online presence including Linked In resumes, websites, blogs or published work, then you should add links to the page as social sites provide a valuable way to display your talents.
Relevant work experience should be specific to the position you're applying for, the employer really isn’t interested in whether you can bake or teach 5 year olds if the job to be filled is for a programmer!
Also be careful of the statements you make, claiming you worked on a team implementing a database is nowhere near as impressive as saying you designed the database schema. Do you see how it can make a difference?
The length of the resume isn't particularly important as long as it lists all the information you want it to and isn't book length! After the summary of personal details, skills, qualifications and work experience anything else included should be attention-grabbing, so if there are 2 more pages then its fine just as long as it's pertinent and is of interest to the company.
Last, but not least be very particular in your presentation. This isn't hard to accomplish and can make all the difference as to whether your resume looks tidy and efficient as opposed to careless and disorganised which will reflect badly on you. Be consistent by using the same font and margins on each page, line up bullet points and always read it through and do a spell check before sending it off.