We make assumptions based on appearance, and resumes are no different. In addition to being clear, concise, and informative, your resume needs to be easy to read, appealing to the eye, and unique. Your resume should portray your personality as much as your experience, and be easy to visually navigate.

In addition to the actual content of a resume, consider formatting for readability and personality.

Here are 5 resume formatting tips;

• Font – Size and type can help make your resume flow better and increase readability. Headings should be Larger and Bold. Limit font styles to 1 – 2. A serif font can be used throughout, or descriptive text could be made to stand out in a san serif font type. Subtitles, such as dates and employer names can be italicized to help differentiate them from descriptive text.

I recommend headings be 11-14 point, Arial (or some other san serif font), and Bold. I recommend descriptive text be 9-12 point and times new roman (or some other serif font).

• Spacing – There should be more space between paragraphs than between lines. This helps to ‘group’ information. There should also be just enough space between lines to read your content.

I would recommend 1.15 – 1.5 between lines, and 6 – 12 points between paragraphs.

• Color – Here’s a great place to show character. Add some color to your presentation! Titles, Your name, a border, your footer, are all good options for a splash of color.

I would recommend keeping your use of colors to 1 shade, 2 at most.

• Effects – Using effects such as Horizontal lines, Page boarders, Bolding, Italicizing, and Bullets, can help text stand out and guide the reader’s eye where you want them to look.

I suggest horizontal lines between sections, bold and/or colorful headings, and bullets outlining experience or education.

• Length – The rule of thumb use to be 1 page, but that is almost impossible for some people today, so 2 pages has become an acceptable standard. Unfortunately, many people will not look past page 2, so be careful not to put anything important on page 3 (if you have one). Better yet, try to fit it all on 2 pages.

I suggest trying the following; minimize space between lines and paragraphs, decrease margins, and decrease font size.

Check out these additional resources for more information on Resume writing and formatting:

Resume Tips – Top Resume Tips

Sample Resumes

Or try one of these resume creators:

My Perfect Resume

Resume Now

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