Formatting
This is probably the most important part of your resume.
- Use a basic but modern font, like Helvetica, Arial, Calibri or Century Gothic. And make your resume easy on hiring managers’ eyes by using a font size between 10 and 12. No word art. No colours.
- You can use a different font or typeface for your name, your resume headers, and the companies for which you’ve worked, but keep it simple and keep it consistent.
- Your address on your resume is not compulsory. It’s 2014 and your social media identity is totally in. Especially your LinkedIn profile and Twitter handle. So clean up your social media profiles and make them for prospective employers.
- Do NOT include photos or other distracting visuals. A recent study showed that “such visual elements reduced recruiters’ analytical capability and hampered decision-making” and kept them from “locating the most relevant information, like skills and experience.”
Lastly, but most importantly, a great traditional resume will always be better than a mediocre “creative” one. Do not be unnecessarily creative.
