Resume Layout Advice Your Resumes Look Is As Important As Its Content

Resume Layout Advice Your Resumes Look Is As Important As Its Content Your resumes look is as important as its contentImagine youre an employer, and you have two resumes in front of you. One is filled wall-to-wall with text and uses four different fonts. Its also peppered with dozens of bolded, italicized, and underlined words and phrases.The second resume also offers a lot of information, but you can quickly scan the documentbecause it makes good use of white space, features clear and consistent section headings, and uses bullets to make important items stand out.Which resume would you look at first?If youre like most recruiters who may have to evaluate hundreds of resumes each week, youll proceed directly to the second resume. Why? Because its inviting to your eyes and your attention span, while the first resume is just the opposite.If you want your resume to have a good chance of being read by prospective employers, you must invest time and energy not only in its content, but also in its look. Whether youre creating your resume for the first time or in the process of revising it, you need to keep the following design tips in mind.Use white space liberallyCreate at least one-inch margins on your resume. Also, leave some blank space between various sections of the resumes text, so several distinct chunks of information can be seen.Stick with two fonts at mostIts tempting to use all of the typefaces at your disposal, but having more than two fonts in any document only lessens its readability. One font is all you really need. If you use two, make sure they complement each other. For example, use one font for the headings and the second font for the body text.Use bolding and italics sparinglyp.p1 margin 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px font 12.0px Helvetica color 454545and avoid underliningIts OK to use some bolding and italicizing in your resume text. Many resume writers may bold their previous job titles and italicize subheadings within each section of the document. As for underliningjust dont. Multiple studies have shown that most readers find underlined text difficult to read.Use bullet points to emphasize skills and accomplishmentsBullets make it easier for employers to scan your resume quicklysince theyre intended to grab the readers eye and lead it to the key points you want to make. Use them when you can, especially when youre highlighting skills or accomplishments. For exampleIncreased student organization membership by 25%Trained five new employees in restaurant operations and opening/closing proceduresBe consistentIf you use all caps to present the anthroponym of your most recent workplace, for example, use all caps to present the names of your previous workplaces, as well. Or, if you use bold, centered text to present the first section title of your resume, use bold, centered text to present the remaining section titles, too. If youre consistent throughout your document, youll subtly establish a reading pattern for potential employers th at will help them follow your resume easily.In the end, youll still need solid resume content to really sell yourself to employers. Even the most well-designed resume wont pass the employers screenif the information it presents isnt first-rate. Just make sure the content you feature is visually appealing and quickly scannable so that instead of passing it by entirely, employers will give it the attention it deserves.