A resume format helps make your resume coherent and organized. However, it is the visible styles on your resume that help add personal touches to the same. Resume styles work both to the advantage of your employer and the applicant. Here, it is important to underline the importance of the same. Place yourself in the shoes of a potential employer who is browsing through hundreds of resumes. Do you think it would make the employer’s job easy if he/she had to look through a hundred monotonously similar resumes? It obviously wouldn’t. It is each resume’s unique style that helps distinguish one from the other while making the job of an employer that much easier. The resume style also works to your advantage by helping your resume stand out from the thousand others that are received by employers. Read on to gain knowledge on how to personalize your resume without being overtly creative and thus killing the much-needed element of professionalism.
Resume Writing Styles
Paper
As far as paper goes, you really don’t have too much of a choice. It’s almost impossible to add that personal touch to the paper via which you present your resume. Using a white paper and black text is your safest bet. There really are no two ways about it. Think about it this way. If you were an employer, would you take a resume typed out on a pink paper seriously? You obviously wouldn’t, and this is because no other paper color other than white is accepted for a resume. However, if you still feel the need to break away from the ordinary, go ahead and use colored paper. You’ll never know, maybe you’ll just get that call!
Bullets
Everyone knows that bullets are the way to go when preparing resumes. Colored circles or squares are the most popular form of employing bullets in a resume. However, if you desire to get creative, you can always use a different symbol to ‘bullet’ your resume, but this does not mean you get overtly creative. Justified creativity keeping well within the limits of professionalism is what you should opt for. For example, if you have small rabbits bulleting your resume as a way of making it look ‘cute’, you will only end up coming across as extremely childish and playful. So, whatever bullet you choose, ensure that it is professional and consistent throughout your resume.
Text Alignment
As far as possible steer clear of right aligning or centering the text on your resume. This is simply not done. Like paper, you don’t have too much of a choice. A traditional resume that is blessed with a left-aligned text and bulleted lists look professional and will help you get closer to getting the interview call. However, if you want to add a few touches of alignment to your resume, feel free to do so with your lists. A over experiment anywhere else can be safely considered the ‘resume homicide’.
Fonts
With fonts, you are given the luxury of playing around and getting creative. There however is hitch when it comes to the rule of thumb on fonts. It is a universal fact that a resume with the number of fonts summing up to three or less than three is acceptable. This only means that your resume is going to be considered unprofessional if it has put to use more than three fonts. Remember, the purpose of your resume is to not showcase how creative you are, but who you are professionally. In addition, as far as the nature and size of the fonts go, ‘Arial’ or a ‘Times New Roman’ in the size of ‘12’ is the way to go. However, this does not mean you cannot use any other font, it only means that you have to choose one that looks professional, and goes all the way by helping you get that coveted interview call.
Structure
There are a thousand ways of structuring the information on your resume, it’s simply not important to enumerate on the same. However, remember that no matter what structure you choose, ensure it sits well on your resume. Choose a structure that creates a unique yet suitable platform for the information on your resume.
There are a thousand ways of structuring the information on your resume, it’s simply not important to enumerate on the same. However, remember that no matter what structure you choose, ensure it sits well on your resume. Choose a structure that creates a unique yet suitable platform for the information on your resume.
