With its fussy dates, headings, columns, and margins, a résumé is all about the details. Fortunately, it is brief enough to make a thorough going-over easy. Here are some important considerations.

Proofread every line in the résumé several times. Careful editing isn’t a minor “detail” when it comes to résumés: It can be the whole ball game. When employers have more job candidates than they can handle, they may look for reasons to dismiss weak cases. Misspelled words, poor design of headings and text, and incomplete or confusing chronology are the kinds of mistakes that can terminate your job quest. (help with common errors)

Don’t leave unexplained gaps in your education or work career. Readers will wonder about blanks in your history (Are you hiding something?) and so may dismiss your application in favor of candidates whose career paths raise no red flags. Simply account for any long periods (a year or so) you may have spent wandering the capitals of Europe or flipping burgers. Do so either in the résumé or in the job-application/cover letter — especially if the experiences contributed to your skills.

Be consistent. Keep the headings and alignments the same throughout the document. Express all dates in the same form: For example, if you abbreviate months, do so everywhere. Use hyphens between dates.

Protect your personal data. You don’t have to volunteer information about your race, gender, age, or sexual orientation on a job application or résumé. Neither should you provide financial data, Social Security or credit card numbers, or other information you don’t want in the public domain and that is not pertinent to your job search. However, you do need to be accurate and honest about the relevant job information: Any disparity about what you state on a résumé and your actual accomplishments may be a firing offense down the road.

Look for help. Check whether your campus career center or writing center offers help with résumés. Online employment sites such as Headhunter.com and Monster also offer useful tips and tools for preparing and posting a résumé.