You, your resume and the job
Job hunting can be one of the most exhilarating, and yet agonizing experiences in an individual’s life; and while many of us, as young adults, look forward to opening a new chapter in our professional lives, finding a way to stand out from other job applicants who are at least equally qualified for a given position, is often a difficult task. If you’ve been in the job hunt recently, you can probably relate directly to this sentiment.
You understand that your resume is the first contact potential employers will have with you; and as such, a well formatted and well-written resume will often make a difference between getting an interview followed by getting the job, and being passed over. Most employers receive a stack of resumes from qualified candidates and scan them relatively quickly before they decide whether or not they want to read further.
Therefore you only have a few seconds to make a positive and/or lasting impression; but don’t panic! Instead, focus on the design of your resume as it is the first impression your potential employer will have of you, whether the resume is on paper or in electronic form.
Avoid using outdated templates
The most commonly made mistake in resume design pertains to using ready made templates that are available in Microsoft Word. While these templates are resume tools designed for quick formatting and consisting of easy to follow instructions on how to create your resume, they are often outdated and will make your resume appear generic and uninviting. Additionally, such templates, while well formatted in Microsoft Word, will not translate well when emailed or uploaded to job search engine web sites.
The second most commonly made mistake in resume design is the inclusion of graphics on the page. Your picture and/or other graphics are not appropriate for a resume, because including anything outside of plain text will make you stand out in a way that could cause the employer think that the seriousness with which you take yourself as a professional is sorely lacking, and this is certainly not the first impression you’d want to make.
That having been said, however, you might wish to obtain a few resume samples which can easily be done with a quick search on the Internet under the particular industry in which you’re pursuing employment, or under the category that makes the most sense for the job you are seeking. After that you can work on a blank page to replicate the look and feel of the resume you like. Take a look at the following basic formatting rules for your resume:
The resume features list
- Limit the length of the resume to two pages.
- Page margins should be one inch; top, bottom, right and left.
- Use left justification only as a rule, and resume content should not be centered.
- The font and font size should be consistent.
- Bullet points should be basic. Use circles or squares, but never any symbols that may not translate well when sent electronically.
- Headlines can be in all caps; but the remaining text should not have special formatting.
- Do not underline any of the information in your resume since it could be mistaken for a hyperlink.
- Headline font size should not exceed 14 points; and font size for the remainder text should not exceed 12 points.
- Use the Tab key instead of your Space bar to create spaces between the text in your resume.
Check and recheck resume for errors
As a last formatting check point, ask your friends or family members for help in reviewing (critiquing) your resume. Simply email resume file via email to a few of your friends and ask them to review it resume to make sure nothing seems out of place. Print out the resume and review it to make sure that margins are accurately set, and the content doesn’t appear crowded on the page. Keep in mind that when it comes to your resume, a sleek simple appearance, and great writing will help you obtain your sought after job.
