Winning Resume Writing Guide (page 3)
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Be Clear
Make your resume as clear as you can in five ways:
- Font: Use an easily-readable font. Verdana is a classic, is easily readable and is easy on the eye. Other favourites are Times New Roman or Georgia. Try to stick to one, or at most two font sizes (nothing less than 8 point and ideally nothing less than 10 point), and do not over-style your text. Italics, bold and underlined words on the same page look clumsy.
- Format: Make the format of your resume as easy to follow as possible, and consider using horizontal rules across the page to separate sections.
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Language: Ensure that the description of your experiences and accomplishments is as clear as possible. Test them with your friends. Ask them whether it is possible to make the descriptions clearer or more concise.
- Consistency: Make sure that you are consistent in every way - this significantly increases readability. For instance, use a consistent date format throughout. If your first position is listed in the order of [date, company, position, achievements] then make sure they are ALL listed like that. When listing your achievements, make sure that they all start with a verb. And make sure that font sizes and styles are consistent for similar words - for instance if your previous employers' names is in bold, then they all should be.
- Spelling and Grammar: Use your word-processor's spelling and grammar checking facility. A spelling or grammatical error in a resume is quite simply inexcusable and could be enough ON ITS OWN to send your resume to the bin. Once you've checked it on the computer, check it with someone who you trust to pick up any last gremlins in the grammar.
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Be Brief
Ideally, a resume should be just one page, although if you are applying for a job in which the assessor will need significantly greater detail on your past accomplishments, then the resume can spread to two pages.
Though remember, this is the exception and not the rule!!
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As seen in the Wall Street Journal's Career Journal, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Career Magazine, and more!