How to format your resume

How to format your resumeHaving a well-formatted resume is almost asimportant as having a well written resume. Mostemployers receive a stack of resumes of qualifiedcandidates and scan them quickly before theydecide whether or not hey want to read further.In addition to key words, what stands out the mostabout your resume is its format. It is essentiallythe first thing people will notice, whether onpaper or in electronic form.There are a number of rules you should keep in mind

when formatting your resume. First, start with ablank page. Avoid using templates that arealready available in Microsoft Word. Thesetemplates are outdated, and they will make yourresume appear generic and uninviting.Additionally, these templates, while wellformatted in Microsoft Word, will not translatewell when emailed or uploaded to job search engineweb sites. You can find samples of resumes on theInternet; search for resumes by your industry tofind the templates that make most sense for thejob you are seeking. Than work on a blank page toreplicate the look and feel of the resume youlike.Ideally, your resume should fit on one page; ifyou have extensive experience, limit the lengthof the resume to two pages, but only listexperiences and skills relevant to your careerobjective. Even if you are applying for a job ina creative field, do not insert images or picturesinto your resume. If you are looking to show off

your creativity, you can do so in a separateportfolio of your work.The page should have one inch margins, top andbottom, right and left. Use left justificationonly ?as a rule, do not center the content of yourresume. The font and font size should beconsistent. Your name, and any headlines in yourresume should be displayed in the same manner.Typically, the headlines will be in all caps, andin bold. Try not to underline any of theinformation in your resume. In the world ofInternet driven job applications, underlining ina document implies a web link. Thus, usingunderlining for emphasis is not appropriate. Thefont size for headlines should not exceed 14points; the remainder of the text in the resumeshould not exceed 12 points.When trying to align your resume, be ware ofspacing and tabbing. Stay consistent in the waythat you are spacing out the information on the

page. Use tabs, rather than spaces. You alwayshave to anticipate that the person you are sendingyour resume to may have a different version of thesoftware than you and thus may not see the exactlythe same resume you are sending ?it is possiblethat the margins will reset, paragraphs willshift, bullet points will change shape, etc. Thisis why you must keep the spacing consistent, aswell as try to keep the font and the bullet pointsas basic as possible.As a last formatting check point, ask your friendsor your family for help in reviewing your resume.Send the resume file via email to a few of yourfriends ?ask them to review the resume and makesure nothing seems out of place. Print out theresume on paper and review to make sure thatmargins are accurately set, and that the contentdoesn 抰 appear crowded on the page. Keep inmind ?when it comes to your resume, sleek simpleappearance, and great writing, will get you thejob you are looking for.