Consistency in Resume Formatting

Consistency in Resume Formatting First impressions are everything when creating your resume. From the font to the spacing and borders (if any), each of these elements plays a critical role in how your resume is perceived. Keep in mind that your resume could be the key to your future career opportunity. Of course, you need to be organized and gather the appropriate information for the resume. However, you also need to be aware of HOW your information looks. Here are some tips to remember when developing your resume: Use a nice, readable font. Try not to be too fancy with script-like fonts or others that may be difficult to read or decipher. For text, my personal favorites are Garamond and Georgia. For several recent resumes I have completed, Brittanic Bold has been a nice font to use for a heading. Be careful with color. Although pink may be your favorite color, it is most likely not appropriate for your dream job. Stay consistent with black text and maybe use a dark blue color for your name or for separating lines. Spacing is your friend. Your resume needs to have enough white space so that it is easy to read. However, you also don’t want large, gaping holes of white space that are two inches in from the margins. Bullet points can be friend or foe. Bullet points are great for highlighting pertinent information. However, by making EVERYTHING a bullet point, you have defeated their purpose. Save them for something vitally important that you wish to draw attention to in a positive manner. Consistency is key. If you use a 14-point font for a heading at the beginning, then please use 14-point headings throughout the document. If you use one line to separate Education from Professional Experience, then be sure to use one line to separate Volunteer Experience and Core Competencies. Finally, as an added tip, have someone else review your resume and tell them to give you their first thoughts when viewing it. Resume critiques or reviews are something that Feather Communications offers as part of the resume process. I look for several things: does it look neat, can I read the name and contact information easily, and is it centered vertically on the page. Obviously there are more things to consider, but those are the initial review items (within the first 15 seconds). By ensuring consistency in resume formatting, you are showing the potential employer that you also care about how your information looks. Once again, this shows you are reviewing things from their point-of-view; this is something that everyone appreciates.