There are so many conflicting recommendations out there. Should you keep it to one page? Do you put a summary up top? Do you include personal interests and volunteer gigs? And how do you make it stand out, especially when you know the hiring manager is receiving tons of applications? This may be your best chance to make a good first impression, so you’ve got to get it right.

Use the following strategies to make your resume stand out and demonstrate that you are the best candidate for the job.

First things first: Don’t send the same resume to every job. “You can have a foundational resume that compellingly articulates the most important information,” but you have to alter it for each opportunity. Of course, you may need to write the first version in a vacuum, but for each subsequent one, you need context. As a first step, you carefully read the job description and highlight the five or six most important responsibilities, as well as a few keywords that you can then use in your resume.

This exercise should then inform what you write in your summary and the experiences and accomplishments you include. Each version doesn’t need to be radically different, but you should “tweak it for the position, the industry, etc.”. You might change the sequence of the bullet points, for example, or switch up the language in your summary.

The first 15-20 words of your resume are critically important “because that’s how long you usually have a hiring manager’s attention.” Start with a brief summary of your expertise.

You’ll have the opportunity to expand on your experience further down in your resume and in your cover letter. For now, keep it short. “It’s a very rich, very brief elevator pitch that says who you are, why you’re qualified for the job, and why you’re the right person to hire.” “You need to make it exquisitely clear in the summary that you have what it takes to get the job done.” It should consist of a descriptor or job title like, “Information security specialist who…” “It doesn’t matter if this is the exact job title you’ve held before or not.” It should match what they’re looking for.

Here are two examples:

Healthcare executive with over 25 years of experience leading providers of superior patient care.

Strategy and business development executive with substantial experience designing, leading, and implementing a broad range of corporate growth and realignment initiatives.

And be sure to avoid clichés like “highly motivated professional.” Using platitudes in your summary or anywhere else in the document is “basically like saying, ‘I’m not more valuable than anyone else.’” They are meaningless, obvious, and boring to read.

You may be tempted to skip this part of the resume, but don’t. If you’re struggling to write it, ask a friend, former colleague, or mentor what they would say if they were going to recommend you for a job. And then use those words. Or you can ask yourself what you’d want someone to say about you if they were making an introduction to the hiring manager.

If you’re switching industries, don’t launch into job experience that the hiring manager may not think is relevant. Adding an accomplishments section right after your summary that makes the bridge between your experience and the job requirements. “These are the main points you want to get across, the powerful stories you want to tell.”

After the accomplishments section (if you add it), list your employment history and related experience. See below for exactly what to include. Then add any relevant education. Some people want to put their education up top. That might be appropriate in academia, but for a business resume, you should highlight your work experience first and save your degrees and certifications for the end.

And that ever-popular “skills” section? skipping it altogether. “If you haven’t convinced me that you have those skills by the end of the resume, I’m not going to believe it now.” If you have expertise with a specific type of software, for example, include it in the experience section. And if it’s a drop-dead requirement for the job, also include it in the summary at the very top.

One of the questions that we asked regularly is how to account for gaps in a resume, perhaps when you weren’t working or took time off to care for a family member. If you were doing something during that time that might be relevant to the job, you can include it. Or you might consider explaining the gap in your cover letter, as long as you have a brief, positive explanation. However, the good news is that in today’s job market, hiring professionals are much more forgiving of gaps. In a recent survey, 87% of hiring managers said that they no longer see candidates being unemployed or having an employment gap as a red flag.

It’s tempting to list every job, accomplishment, volunteer assignment, skill, and degree you’ve ever had, but don’t. “A resume is a very selective body of content. It’s not meant to be comprehensive. If it doesn’t contribute to convincing the hiring manager to talk to you, then take it out. This applies to volunteer work as well. Only include it as part of your experience—right along with your paid jobs—if it’s relevant.

So what about the fact that you raise angora rabbits and are an avid Civil War re-enactor? “Readers are quite tolerant of non-job-related stuff, but you have to watch your tone.” If you’re applying for a job at a more informal company that emphasizes the importance of work-life balance, you might include a line about your hobbies and interests. For a more formal, buttoned-up place, you’ll probably want to take out anything personal.

It can be hard to be objective about your own experience and accomplishments. Many people overstate—or understate—their achievements or struggle to find the right words. Consider working with a resume writer, mentor, or a friend who can help you steer away from questions like, “Am I good enough for this position?” and focus on “Am I the right person for the job?”

If you do ask a friend for feedback, be specific about what you want them to look out for. Asking a generic question, like “Does this look OK to you?” is most likely going to get you a generic response (“Looks fine to me!”). At a minimum, have someone else check for logic, grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

Keep in mind that a resume isn’t just a list of your past jobs and skills; it’s meant to communicate your unique talents and potential to employers. Even if you lack conventional work experience, emphasize your strengths on your resume and show your passion and motivation for the job.

And if you’re looking for a work-from-home job that doesn’t require experience—or any other flexible job—you’re in the right place! Members get exclusive access to our jobs database, which is updated every day with new job postings in more than 50 career categories. Take a tour to learn more about the many benefits of a FlexJobs membership!