Here’s a tip for you: it’s never too late to start making a killer resume.

Even after a bad experience in college, I found that things changed once I entered the workforce. Having gone on to work in product management, design, and sales, I learned that resume is just part of the total package. While the resume, ability to present yourself to a potential employer, and skillsets all still play a huge role, your image is just as important as the actual job description. And for that reason, this is the perfect time to start crafting a killer resume. I’ve detailed a few of my favorites below, along with some guidelines on how to tailor your presentation to your job market, as well as one essential tip that will help you draw in the attention of recruiters.

Avoid Broken Primers

This is pretty straightforward; learning broken templates is actually a good thing. This allows a resume to stay true to itself and fits your product profile — you wouldn’t want your resume to pimp your company and products, so focus on the resume aspects that make you stand out and stand out against others.

So, if you want to avoid broken templates for now, check out these suggestions.

Personalize

The content of a resume is just as important as your style and presentation. You want to use elements of your resume that are uniquely you (think words you would use at your company, experiences you would bring to your work, and skills that make you useful to your company). Sure, recruiters will scrutinize your resume (a common practice in a job posting, but still), so make sure you have some sort of edge that brings you to the top of the pile.

Decide Whether the Resume Included a Cover Letter

If you’re already running a business, maybe you’re not looking to go full out for your own resume. If so, consider including a cover letter as well (this one, from the career blog, is an excellent example), but keep in mind that you don’t need to include it to your resume — just put the information on your personal website.

Attention to Detail

This is certainly a skill you can start building while still in college, but once you’re an adult, make sure you’re bringing the same attention to detail to the content of your resume that you bring to your projects, pitches, and presentations. Without this level of detail, you’re only missing something that is absolutely integral to your job performance — and until then, I suggest diving in.

Target Audiences

This isn’t a requirement for all resumes, but it’s worth mentioning. When you’re creating a resume, think about the job seekers out there and which specific groups you want to target. These groups might be based on your industry, level of experience, or specific audience such as those seeking a developer, writer, or sales rep. Start by contacting a few companies that are relevant to your industry (in a broad field, of course) that have a tremendous amount of competition, but people are moving elsewhere within their industry. Continue with these contacts and find out about events, resources, and trade shows within your industry — whether it’s trade shows, government internships, a local community college, or an event in a wide industry. Lastly, you can also leverage your social media presence to get connections with people in different groups who may have connected with you via their social media presence.

1. Kindly accept I can only complete 25 copies of this resume template, you should get copies of each and send to a few more companies (in rough order of title and the organization). 2. Reflect on the wording and sound of the “strengths” section.

3. Find a template that works for your role and the companies you’re targeting (highly tailored templates can be had, but this will be expensive). 4. Be sure to include skills, relevant experience, and experience in a select few technology markets (if you’re going to create a sales professional template, for example, include sales.net, sales.com, and salesforce.com). 5. Explain why you’re hiring. 6. What company does it belong with? 7. Select the appropriate font (with my sample, be aware that even good fonts can be tricky!). 8. Include a verb as the beginning of each resume bullet point.

Conclusion

This article originally appeared on the Georgetown Center’s blog.