10 Tips to Make Your Résumé Shine
Ten seconds. That’s all the time you can expect your résumé to be reviewed by the average reviewer, so when it comes to basic formatting elements, this is one thing you’d better get right the first time. Below are guidelines for 10 of these to help you in this quest.
The more attention you can give to these details, the less work you ask your reader to do. That’s crucial, since for every 200 résumés received by a reviewer, perhaps 10 are error-free and only about five of those are clear and properly targeted enough to result in calls for interviews. Show that you’re the exception, sweat the details and make your résumé shine.
Number of Pages - One or two? If your experience is limited or if you can reasonably limit your résumé to one page, do so. If you have held many positions and cannot describe your career adequately on one page, then two pages are certainly acceptable. But keep in mind the most effective communicators write brief résumés. Candidates who write long résumés are sometimes seen as either unable to organize information quickly or people who disrespect the reader’s time.
Spaces - Use one space after a sentence, not two. Using two spaces is an obsolete typewriter convention. And it’s a waste of valuable space.
Margins - Set all margins for one inch and discipline yourself from reducing these margins to cram in more text. Likewise, keep in mind that open spaces in the body of a résumé make it easier to read, so avoid heavy masses of text.
Fonts - Use one font and no more than two font sizes to avoid a disorganized appearance.
Italics - Limit the use of italics to the names of publications (e.g., The Chicago Tribune).
Boldface - Use boldface only for your name and section headings, and resist the temptation to use it anywhere else.
All Caps - Don’t use them. They represent a poor way to highlight information and many readers interpret their use as rude.
Underlining - Don’t use it because it draws the reader’s eye away from other parts of a résumé. Is there any part of your résumé that you want the reader to look away from?
Spell-check - Don’t count on it. The following sentence will escape spell-check every time: “I try too right good butt eye half trouble with spelling and doughnut under stand why my computer don’t ketch my airs.” Use spell-check as a starting point, but don’t use it as a substitute for a thorough proofreading.
Proofreaders - Have your résumé proofed by at least two people who ideally hire people as part of their jobs, and who have writing skills and counsel you respect. Mistakes on résumés are embarrassing, unacceptable and potentially career-limiting. Don’t settle for anything less than perfection.