You know the saying … “A picture is worth a thousand words”? Have you tried applying that same concept to your resume? Just as you want to make the right first impression in an interview, you should also strive to make the same or better first impression with your resume. It’s not only the content that matters, but additionally the layout, font choice, and formatting.
Here is some resume advice in the form of a few tips and things to think about:
- Inconsistent Layout – inconsistency can cause confusion and a confused reader is the last thing you need.
- Poor presentation of information – recently I have seen more resumes with no profile summary and the first position is completely irrelevant to the position of interest, AND all the great experience is on the second page. To be frank – an employer will never get to the second page!
- Wrong font choice – think of the font you choose like the clothes your resume wears. Some fonts almost have a personality of their own, so choose your font type carefully, tastefully, and think professional. Get a second opinion.
- Font size is too small – there was one resume I looked at that seriously had a 5pt font size. When printed it look like a page with grey/black lines since I could not even decipher the letters! The lesson? Make sure the size you choose is readable from an arm distance away.
Remember the font, format, and layout can help “dress up” or “dress down” your resume. So, dress it up! Make it look good. Professional but good. Use these tools to help make your resume stand out. Don’t make the wrong statement.
Thank you to our resume expert, Jasmine Marchong, for this article and the resume tips.
