Pick The Ideal Resume Layout
The hard part is over. Youve written your resume, and are feeling confident about getting that interview. Now its time to take a moment and consider your resumes design.
Depending on the industry you work in or the job you want, you may need to adjust your resume layout to fit the expectations of the hiring manager.
Resume Format Templates To Customize
The first decisive step when applying for a job is to present a good resume or CV. If it’s not adequate, there’s a good chance you won’t get invited for an interview. We know that preparing a resume isn’t simple, and that’s why EDIT.org wants to help you make a professional resume through editable templates.
The content is fundamental, but the layout is just as important. The format is the first impression a recruiter will have of you ? before they even begin to read about your experience. A good design can differentiate you from the hundreds of resumes they read daily, simply because of the professional format and careful design. EDIT.org wants to ensure that your chances of being chosen for a job increase, just based off the design of your resume.
On this editor, you’ll find dozens of templates to suit your needs. We know it’s not the same to present your candidacy for a position in a law firm as it is in creative advertising, so we have different models adaptable to all situations. We also have templates created specifically for students without experience.
Check For Formatting Issues
Make sure that the format of your resume is suitable for your background and industry. Scan your resume to make sure spacing is consistent, margins and indents are aligned perfectly and sections have page breaks in the right place. If you’re writing your own resume or using a resume builder, download and print it out to ensure consistency between print and screen, as hiring managers often view applications in both formats.
Your choice of font is also important. Choose a font that makes your words easy to read. Simple, clean fonts such as Verdana or Arial guarantee the readability of your text. More ornate fonts, such as Chiller, Roman or Informal, may give your resume more personality but could render it unreadable by viewers and automated scanners. Choose a font that makes your resume look professional. Stick with one choice and a couple of styles for variety.
The correct font size is also important. The resume font size should be between 10 to 12 points. If you want to reduce the white space, choose a 12-point font. If you have plenty of information on your page, start with a 10-point font and increase it if there’s still space.
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Print It Out And Read
Print out your resume and read through the hard copy. It’s easier to catch errors in physical copies. To help you concentrate on just one line of text, get a ruler and place it under the first line of your resume. If there are no errors in that line, move the ruler down to reveal the next line and carefully review that line. Continue edging the ruler down until you have reviewed each line.
Modern Chronological Resume Template
This resume template is available from Microsoft itself, and its one of many free templates the company has prepared for those who depend on Microsoft Office tools to create content. Yes, it is written in Times New Roman dont freak out.
Designs like this can borrow an old-school typeface and still impress recruiters with a clean layout and subtle use of color. You can also change the font if you wish .
Download this template here.
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The Core Things Your Resume Should Include
Employers want to see where candidates have earned, learned, and contributed.
Tina Kashlak Nicolai, writing on Business Insider
First, though, you’ll need a list of the data you should include in your resume. Even with a video or infographic resume, you still need the basic elements of a resume you’ve had to use since collegebut some of these alternative resume formats limit the amount of information you can include. As you build your new resume, make sure you don’t omit crucial information. For example, all resumes absolutely must include at least one piece of contact information, such as your email address or phone number.
As far as what else must be included, career coach and founder of Resume Writers Ink Tina Kashlak Nicolai says the most important thing is that “employers want to see where candidates have earned, learned, and contributed.” Even if the amount of detail included is limited, its crucial to list your previous employers, experiences, and any relevant degrees or certifications you have.
Beyond these details, include industry-specific expectations . Most other thingsa summary, career objective, personal skills list, references, languages, awardsare optional. Include them if theyre important and theres room, but dont stress if they dont fit within your favorite template.
With that info in hand, it’s time to go make a great new resume.
Free Downloadable Resume Templates
All templates contain a guide with all information you should include so you won’t forget any aspect when inserting your data. You can also save the modified template in the user memory on the editor, so you’ll be able to make changes later if necessary. Remember that you can create different versions of your resume and present one or another depending on the company you are applying for.
Another great advantage is that EDIT.org gives you the ability to modify templates from any device with Internet access. Since you don’t know when an opportunity will arise, you’ll always have your resume ready to send or download with a simple click.
Finally, all our templates have a one-sided extension, since a statistical study demonstrated that resumes with more than one side have a 65% chance of not being read. However, if you don?t have enough space, you’ll have the option to add more pages with the same design pattern. Avoid putting unnecessary or irrelevant data to save space and ensure clarity.
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How To Format Your Resume
It’s important to choose a font and font size that are legible and will leave enough white space on the page.
You also want to keep style features to a minimum reserve the use of boldface for section headings and for quantifiable achievements that you would like to have pop on the page .
When you use a particular style, use it consistently. That is, if you bold one section header, make sure to bold all of them.
You should use consistent spacing throughout, and evenly sized margins on all sides if possible. Its generally best to stick to your word processors default settings, but in some cases, if you shrink the margins on the left, right, top and bottom, this can help buy more space to fit your resume on one page.
Although visual or infographic resumes have become trendy in some industries, it is always a safe bet to stick with traditional formatting: white page, black text, readable font. Choose a basic font such as Arial, Times New Roman, Calibri, Helvetica, or Georgia. Ideally, your font size should be no larger than 12 and no smaller than 10.5.
Even if you are only sending in copies digitally, it is a good idea to print your resume to be sure it prints on a single page, and is easy to read in printed form. Reading over a printed copy of your resume will also help you ensure that there is plenty of white space on the page and it looks professional.
Spick And Span Resume Template
There isn’t a better name for the template below. The Spick and Span resume might be the cleanest-looking sheet on this list.
It uses boldface, all-caps, and gray typeface to structure various headers of the document differently and maximize the hiring manager’s reading experience. And all that minimalism makes the professional headshot at the top pop off the page.
Download this template here.
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What Is A Resume
You should also familiarize yourself with the difference between a resume and a cover letter:
- A resume is typically sent with a cover letter, which is a document that provides additional information on your skills and experience in letter form.
- A resume is a concise, often bulleted summary, while a cover letter highlights and expands on certain traits or accomplishments that would be unique or ideal assets for the particular job.
Maroon Sidebar Resume Template
Pulling your more text-heavy information off to the side in an attractive color-blocked sidebar, this resume lets your experience stand for itself in white space at the top. It’s also easily customizable with no difficult-to-manipulate tables or formatting. The sidebars are in movable text boxes that can even be removed if you wish.
Download this template here.
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How Do I Scan A Printed Resume For Upload To Worksourcewacom
This article describes how to convert a printed resume into a format that can be uploaded to WorkSourceWA.com.Requirements: Scanner, Microsoft Word
Great Tools To Create Infographic Resumes
Want a resume that makes your accomplishments stand out? These tools will do for your work record what infographics do for boring lists of data. Build a visually appealing resume with little-to-no design skills through resume builders’ huge libraries of templates, images, illustrations, and iconsall created by professional designers.
The one big disadvantage of these tools is that the templates dont adjust to accommodate adding or removing sections or including more than the suggested amount of text. For this reason, customizing templates can be time-consuming and may require you know some basic design program functions, like how to group or arrange elements on the page.
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Arrange Your Contact Information
Now that you know the format youre going to use, its time to start your resume. First things first, employers need to know who you are and how to contact you.
List the following contact details in your resume header at the top of the page:
- Name
- Telephone number
- Email address
- Link to online portfolio
- LinkedIn profile
Traditionally, you would also include your mailing address on your resume. However, this is no longer mandatory because most job applications are sent via email.
Here are two examples of how you can format your contact information section:
Edit Free Resume Templates On Editorg
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More Microsoft Resume Templates
More free Microsoft resume templates are available as a download for Microsoft Word users to use to create their resumes. Microsoft also has templates for cover letters, curriculum vitae, and more career-related correspondence.
Microsoft Word resume options include:
- Basic resumes
- Job-specific resumes
- Career-specific resumes ,
- Resumes labeled by format .
To access these resume templates from your computer:
To access the Microsoft resume templates online:
What To Leave Off Your Resume
There are some things that dont belong on a resume for a job. What you exclude is just as important as what you include. Ideally, your resume should reflect experience that is relevant to the job you are applying to, and typically no more than ten to fifteen years in the past. Since your resume should, if possible, be no longer than one or two pages, you may need to nix certain items.
For example, if you took a job and only stayed there for a month or so, you wouldnt want to include that position. If youve been out of college for more than five years, its generally best to remove any internships youve had, assuming you have other professional work experience to fill the gap.
However, this is a case where youll want to use your common sense. If you went to college for marketing and had a marketing internship your senior year, then worked as a server for the next several years, you would want to include your marketing internship.
Ultimately, you want to try to strike a balance between including experience that is both timely and relevant.
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Keep Your Resume Current
In the short term, you should tweak your resume based on each job you apply to. For example, if one position youre applying to seems to weigh a certain responsibility or focus over another, you should be sure your resume conveys your expertise in this area.
At the same time, you should be updating your resume with your experience as it develops, adding any new skills youve learned, courses youve taken or awards you won.
It is much easier to update your resume periodically than all at once, so even when youre employed, set a reminder to refresh your resume every three months, while the information is still fresh in your head. This will make your next job search much easier, should you decide to switch companies or careers in the future.
Email Marketing Resume Template
Red color never fails to stick out on a sheet of paper, especially if it’s included in small amounts. The resume template for email marketers, below, captures that balance.
In addition to the professional title in the top-righthand corner, this template also stands out with a thin sans-serif font, helping make a lot of text easier for a recruiter to digest and read through.
Download this template here.
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Create A Resume For Every Industry
Whether youre a lawyer who works in the corporate sector or an interior stylist in the creative industry, Canvas graphic designers have created a wide range of templates that are suitable for whatever industry you find yourself in.
For creative types, we have colorful templates with artistic, illustrative flourishes. Or, if youre after something more formal, you can explore our collection of minimalist templates, sure to impress the most traditional of hiring managers.
Tips For Proofreading Your Resume
Once you have checked your resume for spelling and grammatical errors, formatting issues, keywords and missing information, review the entire resume again and proofread to make sure you are showing yourself in the best or most positive way possible. Here are a few strategies you can use when proofreading your resume:
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Give The File A Specific Name
Avoid submitting your resume with a generic file name such as resume.doc. If you upload your resume to a job search site or to an employers application software with this title, it will get lost in the other applicants. Rename your file so its easy to identify. Your full name or first initial followed by your last name is a good option. For example, MatthewValdez.doc.
Fill Out The Skills Section
Many employers use software called Applicant Tracking Systems, sometimes referred to as an ATS. These systems allow them to search many resumes for certain skills they are looking for in a future employee. In this section, youll want to keep in mind the words they might be searching for the types of positions youll be applying to.
Tip: Look at the job posting to help you figure out what words to use.
For Joe Smith, we will put in words that highlight his experience as a warehouse worker.
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Guide To Updating Your Resume
If youre actively seeking new employment, it may be necessary to update your resume. Your resume should always reflect your most recent, relevant and valuable skills, experiences and qualities. Before you apply to new jobs, its important to review your resume for outdated information and to update each section as necessary. In this article, well explore when you should update your resume, why its important to keep your resume fresh and what information to include in each section.
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