Are you the one looking for a job? I bet you must have an idea about how stressful it can be. This is not only full of anxiety, however, you also need to give your best, define who you are , tell about your accomplishments, and what you want to do in future in this one page resume. Yeah! It’s no piece of cake, especially talking about who you are but still you need to keep resume design in your mind. Because it is as important as the information you are including in your design.
Have you heard “first impression is the last”? That’s the case here! Hiring manager is going to notice each and everything about you starting from your resume. If it’s not up to par, you have lost a point. It may feel like a lot of pressure but when you think of this, it’s actually a good thing. When your design is good enough, you can make your resume stand out from the crowd. Here are some resume design principles that can take you to the top.
Rules To Design Your Resume in an Effective Way
Select the Right Font
You can see everyone’s resume being written in the Ariel or Times New Roman. Be a little different! Make yours unique that can make its way upto the top. There’s no hard and fast rules in fonts to use in your resume, yet you need to be careful. Below are some primary rules to remember while making a resume:
- Ensure that any typeface you select is readable on a display as well as in hard copy. Font sizes should be around 11 and 13 points. If the typeface is any lower than that, it involves being unreadable.
- Employ various font sizes, in the same way, every time. For instance, all headings and body text must be the exact size.
- For even more artistic or modern sectors, typefaces are generally an excellent choice. Serif typefaces are still used in more classic or conventional sectors.
- Use Comic Sans as little as possible. It is not just hated by the design community, but it also has an infantile quality to it.
You can see in the resume above that a “Montserrat” font is being used which you can easily find and download from Google database. Don’t you think this font enables you to easily read the entire resume with fluidity? Because of the font choice and entire appearance, I feel this CV might be ideal for anyone looking for a much more sophisticated or design-oriented position.
This is just one example of how you can make your resume design more unique. There are many other designs you can try if you want something different.
Fonts Say a Lot About You?
Every element matters! As you know that your resume is the first thing any employer will see, so shouldn’t it deserve your best shot? Everything about your resume must picture who you are as a person. Typefaces you select speak a lot about you. If you want to make a good impression make sure you select the typeface that suits your personality.
Keep in mind that this individual (your interviewer) has probably never even seen you, never got to meet you, and has no idea who you are. Your typeface may say a lot regarding who you really are and give the viewer a good initial perception if executed right. Here are several general suggestions for selecting a typeface that reflects your style:
Serif typefaces:
These typefaces are available in a number of forms. They’re most commonly connected with work environments. Use a sans serif typeface if you’re critical, conceptual, and rational.
Sans serif typefaces:
Sans serif gets a quite cleaner and also more contemporary look. Those, unlike serif typefaces, exist in a range of designs. Use a sans serif typeface if you’re an innovative and design-oriented person.
Script:
Script typefaces could be applied well in resumes, though they are not as popular as serif or sans serif typefaces. Use a script typeface on your cv if you’re friendly, kind, calm, or sociable.
Thin:
There’s no harm in using a font that is ordinary. If you want a minimalist look in your resume, you can go for thin typefaces. It will work best if you are self contained, relaxed, or restful, a thin font is good for you.
Block typefaces:
Sometimes, you need blocky fonts when you need your text to be prominent. For instance, your name, contact details, or crucial headers. If your personality is more expressive and open, try blocky fonts.
Make It Easy To Understand
Want to make recruiters call you? Don’t make it difficult for them. Place the contact area at the head of the page to ensure that it is visible. Add a proper link of your email id if you’re sending your resume digitally. It might be beneficial to have active connections to social platforms, based on the sector.
Why Not Employ Icons?
Symbols are an attractive and smart method to let your contact details stand out without even depriving you of the “core” of your CV. You can use Font Awesome as it is an excellent icon library for any word editor, Photoshop, or Illustrator.
Make Good Use of White Space
Going for a job interview right? They want you to be professional in order to be worthy of working in a professional environment. If your resume looks like it is made by some kid, you have no chance. Make sure that you have used enough white space in your resume. Due to the correct usage of whitespace to split up the text information, it’s so much more convenient for the viewers to navigate from mobile number to email address to web page.
Don’t Forget To Use Colors
If you need the employer to find your contact details at just a single glance, use colors. In this manner, you are actually separating it from every other section of your resume. But remember not to overdo, your goal is to section out your contact info not to distract viewers attention.
Your Content Must Be Easily Readable
From the start, until we go to bed, our brains are flooded with information. It’s nearly hard to understand every message in emails, text messages, or news stories. Therefore we devised a strategy for dealing with everything by skimming the text to obtain the meaning.
Resumes are no exception. According to studies, HR professionals typically devote only six seconds to looking over your resume. Give use of those crucial seconds by making sure your resume is easy to understand for everyone.
Maintain Format
Don’t mix up everything, divide your content into headings and subheadings. If the body text in any of your heading is getting too long, try making bullet points. Be precise but also make sure to use white space in your page to make it more readable.
Utilize Infographics in Your Resume
What’s better than visuals describing your words more effectively? Why not utilize them in your resume? But remember where you are going for an interview. If it’s a position of management level, a resume with infographics could push it to the conventional boundaries. Whereas, if you are applying for a graphic designing position, go for infographics and make your resume design outshine.
Observe Market Standards
We’ll repeat it once more. The resume design must be influenced by the nature of the job you’re seeking for. Try to employ a vintage typeface if you’re looking for a publication position. Are you looking for a career as a graphic artist? Consider including some colorful features in a printed resume or creating a virtual CV to reflect off your abilities.
Since you’re seeking a position as an admin officer, you might want to avoid using unusual design features. (To put it differently, columns are perhaps the most outlandish thing you can do.) Do you have more than one profession? Prepare various resumes based on the information you find when exploring your desired organizations.
Don’t ever use anything extra. Stay away from shiny or scented sheets, glitters and everything that makes your CV look like some kid’s art project. Indeed your resume will outshine others but not definitely in a good way.
Select the Appropriate File Format
One may spend hours crafting the ideal résumé, although it will be useless if you upload it in the incorrect format. Download your resume as a PDF so that the layout doesn’t get muddled when a prospective employer opens it. When you view your CV, it will appear sloppy, which will greatly harm your credibility.
Moreover, do not really overlook the filename! Simply saying “resume” can imply an absence of precision. Add your initials and last names, as well as the term “resume” in the document; you could also add the firm’s title. It helps recruiters’ lives simpler and demonstrates your thinking.