Best Resume Formats With Examples And Formatting Tips
The right resume format will grab the hiring managers attention immediately and make it clear that youre the best candidate for the job while deemphasizing aspects of your career that youd prefer not to highlight.
There are three types of professional resume formats:
Each of these formats is a template that you can customize to meet your job search needs.
Select A Professional Readable Font
When deciding what font to use for your resume, keep in mind that it should be clear and easy to read. Making sure employers dont have to work to understand words on your resume is the most important factor when choosing a font. It is also helpful if your resume is sent through an applicant tracking system. Many employers use an ATS, which doesnt always read and interpret intricate fonts well. You should also avoid light or thin fonts which can sometimes be difficult for people to read on a screen or paper.
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There are two main categories of fonts serif and sans serif. Serif fonts have tails while sans serif fonts do not. Sans serif fonts are generally good fonts for resumes because they have clean lines that are easy to read. There are fonts like Georgia, however, that are still widely accepted among employers as simple and professional.
Here are several examples of the best resume fonts:
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Avenir
Steer The Interview Conversation Back To Abilities
At Skillful theres a lot of interview questions we discourage employers from using, questions such as tell me about yourself, what do you like to do for fun, and what is your biggest weakness? Although, these questions mean well and have been used during interviews for a very long time, a lot of times they tend to be used to hire for culture fit which can exclude great talent from being hired. When a hiring manager asks these types of questions it is important for jobseekers to steer the conversation back to their abilities and what they can offer the company. Offering examples of the ways the skills the job requires have been used in past life experiences, or in past jobs, is a great way to show an employer the value of the candidates transferable skills.
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Proper Margins On Resumes For Printing
We recommend you use the standard margins for a resume to guarantee that nothing will be cut off when you print out your document.
Additionally, use a laser printer if possible. Theyre accurate and dont smudge, ensuring your resume looks sharp.
Also, dont forget to pick the right paper size in the printing section. If youre printing onto US letter-size paper, select that option on your computer. If youre printing onto A4 paper, use that setting.
If you tell your computer youre using a different type of paper than whats in the printer, youll end up with inaccurate margins.
The type of resume paper you use can make all the difference, so choose a professional option to maximize your chances.
Best Resume Fonts To Use
Choosing the right resume font can seem like an impossible task, especially as there are hundreds of choices available. Making sure your resume is readable is step number one.
You want to make sure that a potential employer can easily read it regardless of if its printed out or on a computer screen. Speaking of computer screens, not everyone is on the same operating system which means a unique or quirky font on your screen might show up as code or nonsense on someone elses.
And nobodys hiring nonsense.
Your resume is a professional representation of who you are, and as such, should look professional.
Many companies these days use an automated applicant tracking software to first pre-qualify candidates and the last thing you want to do is get sorted to the bottom of the pile, or worse, rejected, because the computer program didnt recognize your font or had difficulty reading it.
Sans Serifs fonts are fonts which are clean, crisp, sleek, and most importantly, scanner-friendly! Theyre also eyeball-friendly which means a hiring manager reading it wont have any issues trying to figure out what theyre looking at or run into eye-strain.
Stick to fonts like Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, Century Gothic, Gill Sans MT , Lucida Sans and Tahoma.
Of course, over here at The Interview Guys, well confess that were partial to Helvetica. Its a flawless blend of style and clarity.
Try to stay between 10.5 and 12 points. Any smaller and its hard to read.
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When To Use A Three
Most people believe resumes should fit on two pages max, no matter how long youve been working. However, as with all rules, there are some exceptions.
For example, if you work for the federal government youre a senior-level manager with a long track record of accomplishments or youre writing an academic CV for a research or scientific position and have an extensive list of publications, speaking engagements, professional courses, licenses, or certifications then you may need to extend your resume to three or more pages.
Experienced Operations Manager Resume
Why this resume works
- Your experienced operations manager resume can do a great job of highlighting important aspects of operations management.
- When you’re applying to a more senior management position, you’ll likely be applying to far fewer job titles than you would for a junior position. That means you can go the extra mile to make your resume highly specialized for every position to which you apply.
- Carefully read each aspect of the role mentioned in the job description, and cater your resume to address all of them specifically.
- As an experienced professional with a lot of time under your belt, be certain to demonstrate increased job duties and responsibilities.
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Showcase Your Soft Skills
Obviously, technical skills are crucial for any accountant, but thats not all you need these days. Provide examples of how youve effectively used qualities such as clear communication, a positive attitude, critical thinking or problem solving. Have you interpreted complex data and technical analyses for non-accounting audiences to make it understandable for them? Have you led team-building events or had successful collaborations with coworkers? Describe specific experiences that required these soft skills.
Expert Tips To Perfect Your Operations Manager Resume
The responsibilities of an operations manager can change drastically from company to company. Sometimes operations managers are tasked with employee onboarding other times, they have to perform data analysis to identify inefficiencies in processes.
No matter the specific scope of any given operations management role, you need a wide-ranging skillset to be successful.
From strategic planning to effective communication skills to strong analytical skills, you need to cover many disciplines in your resume to convince the hiring manager you’re the right fit for their operations manager role.
We’ve talked to hundreds of hiring managers to distill what works and what doesn’t in an operations manager resume. Here are the three major tips you should keep in mind:
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What Your Resume Should Look Like In 2016
Click to see What Your Resume Should Look Like in 2017.
In todays job market, your resume needs to immediately stand out, says Dawn Bugni, a professional resume writer in Wilmington, N.C. Attention spans are at an all-time short, with hiring managers spending just six seconds looking at a resume before deciding whether the applicant is worth further consideration, a recent study by TheLadders found.
As hiring continues to increase, job seekers will face stiff competition this year. Follow the tips below to make your resume shine in 2016.
Like this resume?
Microsoft Resume Templates Give You The Edge You Need To Land The Perfect Job
Free and premium resume templates and cover letter examples give you the ability to shine in any application process and relieve you of the stress of building a resume or cover letter from scratch. Whether you’re looking for a traditional or modern cover letter template or resume example, this collection of resume templates contains the right option for you. With a traditional resume template format, you can leave the layout and design to Microsoft and focus on putting your best foot forward. If you’re looking for a way to bring your application to life, put a face to your name with a headshot resume template and cover letter combo. If that’s not your style, you can choose from hundreds of other fully customizable and printable resume templates. All resume and CV templates are professionally designed, so you can focus on getting the job and not worry about what font looks best. Just download your favorite template and fill in your information, and you’ll be ready to land your dream job.
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Maximize Your Real Estate
Despite what you may have heard, you dont necessarily need to limit your resume to one page. A resume is as long as it needs to be to convey value. And not one word more, says Bugni. That said, a two-page resume may be appropriate for someone with 30 years experiencenot for a recent college graduate. To conserve space use bullet points, active verbs, and industry-specific acronyms, and dont state the obvious .
See more of Money’s 2016 Career Guide.
For additional career tips and resume services, visit Monster.com.
How To Choose A Resume Format
Some resume formats will work better than others for your situation. For example, if you have a gap in your resume, a history of job-hopping, or a career path thats taken some strange twists and turns, a functional resume might be the best choice because it emphasizes skills over linear job experience.
On the other hand, if you can show a clear progression toward your current job opportunity, a chronological or combination resume might be the best option.
Your choice will depend on your career level, work experience, and job history. The job description might also make a difference. So, be flexible when choosing a resume format.
If you create several versions of your resume, including a comprehensive, a targeted, and a short teaser resume, you’ll have the flexibility to market your credentials quickly and easily.
Which resume format is best for you? Well break down the advantages of each type and offer detailed resume layout examples to help you make your decision.
Keep page length in mind as you format your resume. One to two pages is fine for most situations three or more pages is relevant for senior-level, government, and academic positions.
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Turning Cvs Into Resumes
A common mistake students make in writing resumes is being too descriptive, says Morgan. “Rather than long, flowing sentences, be concise and pack a lot of information into a couple words.”
Also, be sure to tailor your experience so it’s pertinent to the employer. “If the topics you’ve researched aren’t relevant to the job, describe the research in terms of what you did,” says Brooks. “Focus on the behaviors instead of the research itself.”
For example, Brooks spoke with writing center tutors who described the skills they needed to be good tutors. “No one mentioned the obvious being a good writer. Instead, they focused on skills such as being patient, a good listener and able to calm people’s nerves,” says Brooks. “When applying for positions outside the writing field, these additional skills could be ultimately more relevant than their writing skills.”
Avoid too much professional jargon, says Morgan. “People in human resources and future supervisors likely won’t be impressed by terms that are only relevant to highly specialized fields,” she says.
In addition, the titles of your thesis and dissertation might be too long and academic-sounding, says Brown. “Translate these titles into something for nonacademic audiences.”
Resume Margins: Standard Sizes & How To Set Them
Want to make sure your resume catches the hiring managers eye? Read our tips on how to use your resume margins to make your application stand out .
Resume margins are an important part of formatting a resume.
Make sure your margins are proper and professional, and youll increase your chances of landing an interview.
In this article, youll find out:
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Weak Verbs And No Verbs
The problem: Schumacher all too often sees weak verbs on do-it-yourselfers resumes. She cites such lackluster verb constructions as was responsible for,provided or assisted with.
Even worse than weak verbs, some people dont use verbs at all when they write resumes, Schumacher said.
Their bullet points start off with , saying something like: Project management and process improvement or Implementation of process controls and standardization procedures, she said.
The fix: Use verbs instead of sentence fragments that omit them. Your resume will be more action-oriented and dynamic. And avoid weak verbs by using action-oriented verbs such as spearheaded,steered or influenced.
Customize Your Resume For Each Application
Looking for a new job can seem like it’s a full-time task in and of itself. You’ve read that you should “customize your operations manager resume” for each operations manager role for which you apply.
But what does that mean? Are you supposed to build a new resume from scratch for each job? That seems insane .
I want to walk through a practical example of adapting your resume for a given operations manager job. You’ll be able to see firsthand that it doesn’t take that long.
But first, why customize your resume? Because you need to get past the automated keyword filter that companies use to screen applications: the Applicant Tracking System .
These filters are scoring your resume based on whether it contains certain keywords they’re looking for in an operations manager.
It’s time for an example.
As of this writing, Handy is hiring an operations & strategy manager in their NYC office. Here’s a snippet of the job description:
Sample Operations Manager Job Description from Handy
What you’ll do
The scope of this mandate is broad and requires the exceptional capacity to prioritize and focus:
- Run a team of 10-12 highly driven sales & operations associates
- Own operations KPIs and costs for a new service or group of linked services
- Improve overall platform experience for both customers and Handy Pros
- Drive changes in process, policy, and product to ensure high satisfaction for all users
What we’re looking for
Based on the job description above, I would change this work experience:
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Operations Manager Resume Objective
A hotly contested topic in resume creation circles is whether or not to include a resume objective on your operations manager resume.
No matter which side of the debate someone falls on, however, this is clear: only include a resume objective if it actively makes your resume better!
What does this mean? It means you have to avoid having a super generic resume objective.
WRONG – a generic, meaningless resume objective
I’m looking for an operations manager role to utilize my skills to improve processes.
If you’re the hiring manager reviewing this resume, would it convince you to hire this operations manager? Of course not. It does nothing to talk about the candidate’s specific qualifications or interests.
Aim to keep your resume to one page, so don’t waste that valuable real estate with something that won’t help you get an interview.
As a rule of thumb, if you are not customizing your resume objective for each role you’re applying for, then you should omit it altogether.
We curated over 100 resume objective examples to help you get started with writing one.
RIGHT – specific, customized resume objective
As the son of a pizzeria owner, I’m excited about the prospect of leveraging my ability to identify and improve inefficiencies in processes to further Slice’s mission of making it easy for pizzerias to connect with their local communities.
How Long Do Recruiters Spend Reading Your Cv
- Post author
Recruiters spend on average 5-7 seconds looking at a CV. Its stats like these that are scary for jobseekers but you forget that the recruiter has a very trained eye and know exactly what they are looking for.
In this infographic from our friends at BeHiring, we learn the following:
- First applications are received 200 seconds after a job is posted
- Average time spent looking at a CV is 5-7 seconds
- One spelling or grammar mistake and your CV will be chucked in the bin
- 88% job rejection rate if you have a photo of yourself on your CV
- One in three employers rejected candidates based on something they found about them online
- An average of 250 CVs are received for each job position
- 68% of employers will find you on Facebook
- 17% chance that your cover letter will be read
- 76% of CVs are ignored if your email address is unprofessional
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Should I Use Action Verbs On My Resume
In the High Score Resume, the structure for each bullet points is a success verb plus specific numerical data regarding an accomplishment in your field or role.
That means you need about 25 magic resume words for your bullet points. Rather than make you guess, Ive provided you with 25 great success verbs in the box below that can serve effectively on any resume.
Typical resume advice says to use active verbs, which the High Score Resume says arent good enough, arent powerful enough, and arent persuasive enough. Some active verbs are very bland and do nothing to help persuade a future employer. Managed, established, defined, and performed are all considered active verbs and are frequently used on resumes.
But these arent good verbs for communicating your High Score. You wouldnt say I managed a little character through a variety of levels or I performed various moves in the game.
White-collar employees, by definition, establish, manage, define, and perform a wide variety of tasks. But what the High Score Resume wants you to share is were you any good at them? And thats an important fact a hiring manager or recruiter wants to know.
The simplest thing to do would be to use these 25 verbs and only these verbs. Unless you have a good reason to expand your variety, the above success verbs can cover most bullets you can think of. Limiting your choices will save plenty of time and headache while ensuring a higher quality resume.