When it comes to resume revision, most people focus on substance. Certainly the content is more important than how it looks, right?
Well, not always.
These days, it’s easy to discount design and formatting. After all, much of the time you’re probably uploading your resume to an online application system anyway. Formatting is often stripped and the information is parsed out into the database, which you, inevitably, have to go through in meticulous detail to fix.
[See: The 8 Stages of a Winning Job Search.]
However, there are still plenty of times when your resume is seen in its original form. You probably take it with you to networking events and in-person interviews. You (hopefully) email it to associates who can connect you with interesting opportunities and hand it to friends and family to pass along to their contacts.
In short, design and format still matter. If the document is hard to read or doesn’t make a positive impression on the surface, people are less likely to read it (and more likely to disregard it).
There are several common formatting mistakes that appear even on the best resumes. It seems most people are guilty of at least one of these things. Take a look at the list of violations below. Then, pull out your resume and see where you might be able to improve.
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Not Enough White Space
White space is a term that was originally used in web development but has caught on in the general design world. It just means empty space on the page. The more white space there is, the easier a document is to read. White space helps direct the eye and focus attention where it should be.
Unfortunately, when it comes to resumes, white space is sorely lacking. Most people want to squeeze as much information onto the page as possible and they find all kinds of creative ways to do that. But this strategy is counterproductive. It’s much more effective to reduce the amount of information and allow for more white space — probably much more than you want. What that means is that you have to really focus in on what’s most important and get rid of everything else. Also, include plenty of line breaks and bullets to help break up the text.
Basically, you want to display only the best information and do it in the cleanest possible way. Minimalism is powerful, whether you’re viewing the document on paper or on a computer screen.
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Over Styling
Another problem is overuse of styling tools such as italics, underline and bolded text. These things are useful for steering the eye in a certain direction, but when overdone they look sloppy. Italics, in particular, can be difficult to read. Use these tools thoughtfully and only to mark specific things you want to call attention to, such as section headers.
Inconsistency
This is perhaps the biggest design issue with resumes — inconsistent formatting. It requires some serious attention to detail. It’s one of those things that’s highly noticeable to others viewing the document for the first time, but which you, the creator, can easily miss.
If you’re going to use bold text to mark one section header, you need to do it for all section headers. If you’re going to put a line break between the company name and the position you held, you need that same line break beneath each company name. If you’re going to indent one list of bulleted accomplishments by a quarter inch, you need that same indent for each list of bulleted accomplishments.
You get the idea.
Look at the entire document and check to make sure every design choice is consistent throughout.
Good design takes a while to get right. Don’t discount its importance. When in doubt, remember: less is more. Let your experience and accomplishments pop off the page. Don’t crowd them with formatting!
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3 Resume Formatting Mistakes You’re Probably Making originally appeared on usnews.com
