Resume Formatting
A well formatted resume can be the difference between getting that interview or not.
It is in the nature of people to expect routine, and a certain amount of it is a good thing.
Granted, the point of a resume is to make you stand out from the crowd, the the way and
order information is presented is important to remain constant.
The format in general
As a rule, you should build your resume prior to formatting it. Get all the information
on the page that you wish to present, and then put your formatting
together. It is a much-repeated mistake of getting the resume looks first, and then
changing the information you want to fit the format.
After you have your information together, it is time to put it into an order that makes
sense.
Your typical order of information goes like this:
- Name and contact information. If you have any credentials, be sure to put them
next to your name where they belong. Be proud of what you accomplished!
- Summary, if you have the need for one. Try to stay away from objectives as they
are entirely too generalizing.
- If you are of junior level, your exams passed (if profession needs them) and
education come next.
- If you are of senior level (5+ years), create your career summary before
any education listed. By this point, experience comes first.
- End your resume with Memberships, honors, and any other miscallaneous information
you deem appropriate.
This particular order is important, because it leads the hiring managers' eyes to the
most important information first, and incrementally going down the list. Time is money,
especially when resumes are concerned.
Formatting Specifics
It is rather easy to seperate your resume data in a meaningful yet asthetic way.
Many people will use tables as a way of seperating their information. Tables are easy to
use and, more importantly, distinguish and format the text to your liking. With simple
bolded headings and areas you can make your resume flourish. Very simple, yet very elegant.
Another little trick that is used is the horizontal rule. The horizontal lines seen on
this page is an example of how rules can be used to seperate ideas. It creates the visual
barrier sometimes necessary to keep a hiring manager's eye focused, and that same barrier
moves the eye from one section to another. Coupled with easy to use bulletpoints,
the horizontal rule can be a very good friend indeed.
The text format should be like the rest of the resume, simple yet stands out. Go with
an easy to read font that many computers use, such as Arial or Verdana. If you cannot
decide if any given font is right for you, Times New Roman is an excellent default.
As well, be sure to keep the font face consistent, as well as using a font size no smaller
than 10. Any smaller than 10 point makes things very difficult to read.
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