Employers have two things in mind when they look at resumes:

• Is this person an obvious match for the position?
• Can I determine this with minimal effort, so I have time to scan the other 200 resumes in my inbox?

If the answer to either of these questions is "No," your chance of getting an interview just vanished, even if you're the perfect fit. Keep reading to find out how to make employers notice your resume and see right away what you have to offer.

It's Not About You (Right Now)

We all want jobs that are good fits for our abilities and personality. Employers get that. At this point, however, they don't care about your hobbies or your personal goals. They just want to know if you're worth interviewing.

Make the resume about what you can do for them, not what the employer can do for you. See that "Objectives" line on your resume that details your desire to work at an IT helpdesk at a government contractor? Delete it.

When in doubt, ask yourself whether that sentence on your resume answers one of the employer questions above. If not, leave it out. When you get to the interview, you can determine whether the job will match your personality and goals.

Bullets are Your Friend

No matter whether you use complete sentences or fragments, do it consistently and use bullets in front of them. Bullets are easy for employers to read quickly and present your most important information quickly.

If you absolutely must use paragraphs, do it consistently and keep them very short. Scannability is the name of the game; employers won't wade through walls of text.

Speak Their Language

While you've got some job listings open, take a close look at the job descriptions.

Then, steal their wording. No, really. Using the same language as recruiters and hiring managers makes you more likely to be found in a database of candidates, and lets those viewing your resume easily see how well you're suited to the position.

When you find a particular position to apply for, do this again with that specific listing.

One caution: If that exact language doesn't apply to you, don't use it. Change it or leave it out rather than mislead employers into thinking you have experience or skills you don't.

Wording is Everything

Two sets of eyes (and "eyes") will be looking at your resume: humans and machines. Once you submit a resume to a job-search site or a company, it gets stored in a database that recruiters search to find candidates.

If you've got the right keywords, your name will pop up in that search and you'll get a call. If not, your resume effectively vanishes, so this is important to get right.

When you create your resume, find some positions similar to the one you want and look at their job descriptions. You should see some words and concepts used consistently across listings. Make sure you use these keywords as applicable in your own resume.

Once your resume gets noticed, a human will be reading it, so ensure that you've used the keywords and phrases in a way that makes sense to humans as well.

Use the Right Format

While you're considering your machine appeal, [ensure you have your resume in the right formats].

Get it Right the First Time

After you've finished your resume and checked it against the 10 Resume Kisses of Death and Last-Minute Resume Checklist, check your spelling. Check your grammar. Do that again. Now, ask a friend to read through it.

Now check your spelling and grammar again. It's that important.

My favorite mistake, seen on a fellow college student's resume (that she'd already sent to dozens of employers): "asses" instead of "assess." Don't be that person.

This article is part of GovWin.com's jobs and staffing resources. Check out the GovWin staffing section, ask the experts a question or follow @HireGovCon on Twitter for the latest govcon job listings.

Lindley Ashline is the Web editor at GovWin.com, the network that helps government contractors win new business every day. She can be reached at lindleyashline@deltek.com, or you can follow her on Twitter @lindleyashline.