I think you’ll enjoy reading this informative contribution by Jason Kay. After you’re done with this one, be sure to take a look at our recent post: Career Change: Three Quick Tips and Your Resume Is a Winner.The way that your resume is written is one of the most important factors in whether or not you will get any job interviews, but equally as important is the appearance of your resume. In order for your resume to get any eyeballs on it has to also be pleasing to those eyeballs.
So just what is in the ‘appearance’ of a resume? The appearance of a resume is the overall way that the resume is laid out. This layout includes:
• Font: What style font are you using? Don’t go too fancy, but don’t go too plain. Avoid a lot of bold and italics unless you are using the effects to help separate the sections of the resume.
• Spacing: If your resume is not properly spaced it will be too jumbled. If it is too jumbled then it can be difficult to read and will simply lead the person reviewing it to move on to the next resume.
• Grammar and Spelling: Nothing kills the appearance of a resume faster than bad grammar and spelling. Don’t just use spell check, but really go over your resume and be sure that it is properly edited before you give it to potential employers.
• Paper Quality: If you are physically giving your resume to someone don’t give it to them on low quality copy machine paper. Instead spend a little bit of money and get some higher quality paper that you use only for your resumes.
• Neatness: Are there any ink smudges on your resume? Did you accidentally drip something on the cover page? Always check to make sure that your resume is in perfect condition and nice and neat as submitting a messy one will likely see it hit the bottom of a trash can.
Having the appearance of your resume be the best it can be is extremely important, especially in a tougher job market. What you need to remember is that there will be multiple applicants for the job in which you are going after. Knowing that, you have to have every advantage you can muster in order to stand out. A great way to stand out from the get go is by turning in a resume that has a perfect appearance.
Resume writing can be intimidating, after all, you want to get an interview! Fortunately there are very affordable resume writing services available.
Put yourself in the shoes of the potential employer. If you were handed a resume that was nice and neat that read perfectly and looked great and then you were handed a sloppy looking error laden resume that appeared as though it was thrown together in a matter of five minutes, which applicant would you think about interviewing? As far as the potential employer is concerned, your resume is the only thing that they will know about you until they interview you. So your resume acts as your representative and you will of course want to be represented in the best possible manner.
In a sense there is nothing more important than having you resume appearance be flawless. While you may be able to dazzle anyone face to face, if your resume appearance is awful, you may never get that face to face chance.
Jason Kay is a professional resume writer and regular contributor to JobGoRound.com, which provides job search tips, interview advice, and resume service reviews. Article Source:
Patricia Erickson is a seasoned career management expert and certified professional resume writer with over twelve years of executive recruiting and coaching experience. She works with career changers and job seekers to design strategies that transform careers. Patricia has been instrumental in navigating clients toward their true career aspirations as well as finding purpose and personal fulfillment.