15 May Formatting Tips to Create a Unique Resume
Your resume should be one piece of paper that instantly catches the eye of managers and recruiters. It should provide a clear picture of who you are and why they want to hire you. However, your resume is more than just the content you provide. It should also be formatted so it is eye-catching and visually appealing.
Here are several resume formatting tips you should consider when writing this important document.
1. Determine the type of resume you want
One of the most important resume formatting tips you will hear is to first determine what type of resume you want to create. There are several different types of resumes including chronological resumes, or those based entirely on experience. Once you have determined exactly what type you desire, then you will want to stick to that structure throughout the entire document. For example, if you choose a chronological resume, you will focus on your employment history. You will not want to throw in a random skill or experience on the document.
2. Be consistent
There is much freedom in how you can format your resume. There is no set font, font size, or even style that you need to follow as you create this document. Regardless of what you choose, it is important that you are consistent throughout the entire document. If you choose a specific font or font size to describe a job experience, you should use that same formatting for all of your explanations. When you are inconsistent, your resume will look jumbled and become more difficult to read.
3. Keep all content to one page
While you may hear many resume formatting tips, one that should never be forgotten is to keep all content to one page. Managers and recruiters do not have the time to look through several pages of content. If your resume cannot capture their attention in just one page, they will quickly move on to the next. If your resume begins to flow onto a second page, carefully look through the provided content. Are there skills that are unnecessary? Is there past job experience listed that is not necessary? These are things you may remove.
4. Use your headings
You want to break up the text throughout your resume and make it easy to skim. You want the most pertinent and important information to stand out and be easily seen. While there are many ways you can do this, one of the best and most simple is to use your headings. When using a word processing document, you can select certain heading styles. Use the Heading 1 option for separate categories and using Heading 2 for all of your subheads.
If you need help formatting your resume or you are looking for ideas, you can use a template found online or within various word processing applications. However, add your own flair to these templates to avoid having a generic resume that doesn’t stick out from the dozens of others that employers may receive. Use the above resume formatting tips to help you create a document that impresses and helps you land a job interview.