Create an Impressive Looking Resume
The purpose of any resume is to get your foot in the door. You’ve probably heard that it takes 30 seconds or less for an employer to decide if they are even going to read your resume. So you better make it count by making a good impression.
Steps
- Make it clean and simple. This is the best way to go. Make sure everything is lined up and doesn’t feel squished or cluttered. Use lines and bullets to help break up sections and create order.
- Utilize white space. Create at least one-inch margins on your resume and leave some blank space between various sections of the resume text, so several distinct chunks of information can be seen. To increase readability set the spacing between 1.15x and 1.20x the font size. For example: 11 point font should have 13 point spacing.
- Choose the correct font. Some fonts are easier to read than others. For example, Times New Roman is the default Microsoft Word (web) font therefore is used on most resumes. Times New Roman actually has horrible word spacing and letter spacing. Garamond is a print font; which makes it easier on the eyes to read.
- Choose a font style. Always use the same Write Classic Font throughout. You can use varying font styles - meaning, italics or bold. Keeping that in mind, make sure you keep the font consistent. For example if you list job titles in small caps, make sure they are all written that way.
- Choose a font size. Font should be set no smaller than 9 points for sans serif and 10 points for serif. Avoid underlining; studies have shown that most readers find underlined text difficult to read.
- Don’t be cute. You may be tempted to add decoration like floral borders, or an illustration that represents yourself. Your resume should remain professional; avoid being cutesy or too colorful If you want to add character, set your name slightly larger, or in a different weight as the same typeface as the rest of your resume. Use different color, but use color sparingly, if at all. No more than one color in addition to black.
- Select the right paper. Walk into any office supply store and you'll see shelves of resume paper to choose from featuring “linen” and “parchment” finish. Avoid them! They are expensive and don’t make you stand out and look extra special. Stick with a plain, smooth finish. It can be heavier then regular copy paper but not stiff as a board either. An ever slight hint of cream is fine, but never use a slight pink finish. Remember: clean and simple.
- Select the right paper size. Don’t use a weird paper size; use the standard 8.5 x 11. If the resume doesn’t fit in a binder or file it will get thrown out.
- Horizontal versus vertical. Choosing to put your resume horizontal versus vertical is more annoying than innovative. The person viewing your resume typically in human resources views hundreds a day. Too much variation from the norm makes it harder for them to make a quick assessment of you. If you want to stand out, write a good cover letter instead.
