Modern Resume Design Checklist. Use Short Bites of Information ... Tables to organize information (cautiously, can have
Modern Resume Design Checklist Use Short Bites of Information
Short paragraphs – 3 lines – and short bullets – 2 lines Job descriptions pared down to critical information instead of a paragraph Shorter summary paragraphs (2 lines) or bullets and subheadings to highlight key points Short lists of bullets – no more than 4–5 Lists of bullets broken up using subheadings, sub-bullets, or other formatting
Use the Cleanest, Most Stable Formatting Solution
No first-page headers; name and contact information on second page in header or first line of page Right tab to pull a date out the right when you want to highlight longevity or define sections (never hit tab or space repeatedly to get to the right!) Columns using tabs or tables, not column feature (for stability and ease of use for candidates) Compatible Word files (.doc) not the latest Word documents (.docx) Full links (i.e. www.LinkedIn.com/in/mariezimenoff)
Use Design to Improve Readability
Borders to distinguish sections (using the border function in Word, not shapes or draw) Shading to draw the eye; make sure shading with black text is light enough for readability if printed; use white text with darker shading elements Well-placed white space Space between lines and bullets to improve readability (paragraph or layout function) Chunking of experience entries and sections for immediate recognition Equal margins on all 4 sides of the page – .5” to .8” Border function or tables to create the text box look – text boxes move and will not be scored by most ATS
Use Design to Brand Your Client
Minimal space for non-distinguishing information (core competencies) Tables to organize information (cautiously, can have ATS issues) Condensed onto a few lines using symbols to separate items Maximum of 2 font types with strategic, consistent fonts and enhancements (bold, italics, underline) One main color if incorporating color in a document Graphics that add value or illustrate a story Excel graphs when the data tells a good story; paraphrase in text (visual WILL NOT be scored by ATS) Pictures or graphs use wrap text or a table Testimonials turned into graphics with a table or borders and shading
Times New Roman (11); Times New Roman (10.5) Cambria (10.5); Cambria (10) Book Antiqua (10.5); Book Antiqua (10) Century (10.5); Century (10) Garamond (11.5); Garamond (11)
Verdana (9.5); Verdana (9) Tahoma (9.5); Tahoma (9) Trebuchet MS (10); Trebuchet MS (9.5)
