In a difficult economy, resumes are piling up on the desks of HR professionals higher than ever before. Standing out from the crowd is a difficult task but perhaps even more important is to not sabotage your chances.

Susan Henry, who runs Henry-Adams, a career development advice firm based in Atkinson, New Hampshire, has some advice on how to avoid doing that, in an article appearing on cabinet.com.

Tell the truth, but don't stack the odds against yourself by admitting you don't have a college degree.

"That's the easiest way to have your resume discarded," said Henry. Instead, she recommended a fairly simple fix for the problem: Go to the nearest Community College or State University and enroll in one course – "then you're a BA candidate."

What you leave out is important, as evidenced from some of the tips accompanying the article. Removing spelling and grammar mistakes are crucial, of course, but you should also not include anything from over 15 years ago. And if you already do have a college degree, you shouldn't put down the date you received it.