The expression "The First Impression is the Last Impression" is very aptly said. A resume is indeed the first chance or opportunity the candidate has to prove his/her worth to the potential clients.

It is important that the candidates highlight and outline the necessary skills and experience on their resumes. Here are a few handy tips for streamlining your resume:

1. Make sure your full name is stated very clearly in bold. Also, the correct address, phone number, email address, website address should be mentioned at the top of the resume.
2. The Objective portion should be catchy and an interesting read as this is the first line most employers scan through when reviewing a resume. It should clearly state the purpose of applying for a particular position.
3. The summary of qualifications is a must on the resume too. This should indicate the number of years of experience you have and should demonstrate your abilities to excel at the position.
4. It's always a good idea to summarize your technical skills in a matrix format and provide the details on the various technologies used. It helps the clients to have a clear idea of the skills you possess and excel at.
5. Work experience should include the title/role, client, duration of the assignment and the client location along with the descriptive information on the tasks involved in while working for that specific client.
6. A resume with grammatical errors and mistakes gives a bad impression to the employer. Therefore, it is important to check for spelling and typing errors.
7. It's a good idea to include action words to describe your accomplishments. Words like achieved, determined, addressed etc create a good impression.
8. The resume should follow the parallel structure pattern and should read in a flow until the end. For instance, if one of the tasks mentioned on the resume is: Developing a web site using ASP.NET, C#..etc then the resume should follow the same structure and the other tasks listed should include words like creating, administering etc.
9. One keyword search done and you are either in or out! As simple as it sounds, keyword search is a norm that is followed especially in the Information Technology recruiting world. Therefore, try your best to add as many keywords as possible.
10. Lastly, keep your resume simple and readable. If you do intend to use a professional design or format then make sure it does not deviate the client from actual content on the resume.