fancy graphics....

also see the font thread

Use well constructed grammar, spell correctly, use all the connections you have. Make it neat, informative, and concise. Spend the time worrying more about the portfolio.

Never use the standard Microsoft Word template. Every food office gets about fifty of those a week, at least. If you are completely inept at resume design, at VERY least use the Microsoft Custom Resume Wizard.

Choose a nice font that's not overly fussy. Fussy doesn't copy or fax well. Don't overdo the bold/italic/underline thing as though you just learned to use it, but use it strategically to highlight titles, etc. to create hierarchy.

In cover letters, mention something specific about their company that you like or are interested in, so they can tell it's not just a form letter.

haha. "every GOOD office", not "every food office"! You can tell where my mind is already today...

i think that a cover letter is perhaps the most important thing when you're looking for a job.

when you're in the first phase of looking, all an employer sees is a resume which, impressive or not, usually lends zero insight into your personality. that being said, your cover letter is really the biggest opportunity to make a connection with the prospective employer so that you can get your foot in the door for an interview.

at the actual interview stage, of course your portfolio needs to be super strong. but at first glance, spend a lot of time in crafting a unique, concise and well-written cover letter that is obviously directed at the specifics of the firm to which its written.

Possibly the worst thing you can do is have spelling and grammar errors in your cover letter. At my first architectural job I had to mail out the rejection letters to applicants and I was amazed at how many people could not formulate a sentence and the amount of spelling errors in their cover letters. I think a lot of them had great looking resumes, but lost the job because of the cover letter.
I think it also helps to drop off your application package in person. It allows you to get a feel for the office, and if the office is small enough and not too busy you can sometimes get a walk through.
If at all possible try to make a personal connection with the person you are writing the cover letter to. It could be that you had a professor who used to work at this office, or somebody from the office talked at your school, etc. I was fortunate enough to have dinner with a well known architect after a lecture at my school. Later I applied at that person's office and mentioned the dinner, even though it took place 8 months earlier. The architect remembered me from that night and offered me a position (although I later chose not to accept it). Personal connections can be very helpful in our profession.