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Resume Designs

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Your Resume’s Got to Look Sharp

To paraphrase Vidal Sasoon, "If your resume doesn't look good, then you don't look good." A poorly presented resume is likely to kill any chance you may have had of obtaining a job interview, regardless of your qualifications. Most unattractive resumes spend only a few seconds in an employer's hand before they are condemned to the trash can. If the resume is lucky it will be reincarnated via the recycling bin. If not, it will end up in some garbage dump buried under twenty tons of 'The way your resume looks is extremely important. It's going to reach the recruiter in a pile with fifty other resumes.

The point is that you've got to look sharp on paper in order to make the first cut in the employment screening process. The employers we surveyed cited readability and presentation as the two qualities they most value in a resume. This means that no matter how outstanding your credentials, if your resume is sloppy, disorganized, or just plain ugly, you stand a good chance of receiving a rejection notice. Employers reason that if you can't take the time and care necessary to present yourself professionally on paper, then what guarantee do they have that you'll act like a professional on the job? The doubts will begin to slowly creep into their heads. Will you dress appropriately? How will you behave with clients? Will you use sound judgment in emergency situations? How well will you get along with your colleagues? Do you have a chip on your shoulder?

Font o rama



Your next step is to select a typeface, of which there are two basic kinds serif and sans serif with thousands of variations of each. A serif typeface such as Palatino or Times is characterized by letters that have small finishing strokes, affectionately referred to by the non design crowd as "curlicues." In contrast, the letters of a sans serif typeface, such as Avant Garde or Geneva, have no such finishing strokes. Most graphic designers agree that serif type faces are preferred for large blocks of text, while sans serif typefaces are more effective for short passages, headlines, and captions. It is best to stick with one typeface on a resume. Some of the more popular typefaces that are suitable.

There are three main factors you need to consider in choosing a typeface: readability, attractiveness, and appropriateness. Are the letters and words easy to distinguish? Do most people find the typeface pleasing to the eye? Does it convey an image of professionalism? Remember, you are not printing an invitation to a wedding or Halloween party. Make sure to get the opinion of someone whose eye you trust before printing the final version of your resume. If in doubt, you can always fall back on the old reliable Times, the most popular resume typeface in America.

Size Counts

Now that you've selected a typeface you'll need to pick a type size for the body of your text. Type size is also referred to as point size (72 points = 1 inch). Depending on the typeface being used, you will probably want to go with a point size between 10 and 12. The only way to figure out what size to use is to print a few lines and see how it looks. If you have to squint, go up a point or two. If it looks like a children's book, bring it down a point or two. When looking at the following examples, keep in mind that the page size of this book is much smaller than your 8.5" x 11" resume, so the 12 point size may look too big here, but it won't on your resume.

For most resumes you'll want to use three different type sizes one for the basic text, one for the category headings, and one for your name. The headings should be about one to two points larger than the main text, and your name should be about two to four points larger than the headings. If you want to get fancy with your name, try making the first letter of your first and last names another two to four points larger than the rest of the letters in your name, like so:

There are two basic approaches to laying out and designing a resume. Our preference is to type all the information first, flush left, then choose a layout after we get a sense of the quantity of information with which we're dealing. The other approach is to decide on a layout right out of the starting gate, and then pray that it works. Often it does, but sometimes you have either too little or too much text for the layout you've selected, leaving you in the unenviable position of either having to edit out information, add blank spaces, change your margins, or alter the layout entirely.

Your next set of layout decisions has to do with where to place the different elements of your resume. As you know, your name, address and phone number will go on top. Most people center their name with the address and phone number below, but if you're running out of space, you may want to string all the information across the top of your resume like a letterhead.

Since the eye reads from left to right, it is usually advisable to place your category headings on the far left where they will be readily noticed. This is crucial because the headings serve as a guide for the employer, allowing them to efficiently scan your resume. The descriptions which pertain to each category should either be indented below the main heading, or listed parallel to it.

Once you've got your headings in place, you'll need to decide where to place the supporting information. If you're setting up a parallel listing, indenting somewhere between 1.5 inches and 2.25 inches is usually fine, depending on the typeface you're using. If you're indenting below the category heading, shoot for about .5 inches to 1 inch depending on how much text you're trying to squeeze on the page.

The possibilities for arranging items such as employer name and location, job title, and dates of employment are endless, but suffice it to say that whatever you believe to be your strongest selling point should be placed in the most prominent spot. This should either be your title or the name of your employer. Depending on how conspicuous you want them to be, dates can either be placed to the far left or right, immediately after your job title, or at the end of your job description. Employer location, which is probably the least significant piece of data, can either be placed wide to the right, after the name of your employer, or omitted altogether. Check out the samples in the next chapter to get a look at different variations.
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