RESUME WRITING STYLES WITH EXAMPLES
Everyone needs to write a resume sometime in their lives. There is no one who can escape from writing one. Hence it is good to know of a structure and style that one needs to follow when writing a resume.
The purpose of the resume is to get you a call for an interview. Therefore the resume should be easy on the reader’s eyes. At no point of time should he be searching for the information that is required. Rather the information should leap out.
The style that you use to write your resume needs to differnetiate you from the others in the pile. Your resume’s task is to convince and persuade the reader to call you for an interview.
There are basically three styles that you could follow based on your individual needs.
- Informal
- Creative
- Conventional
How would you go about choosing the style depends entirely on the position that you are applying for and how would you want your employer to perceive your personality.For example if you are applying for a marketing job then your personality should come across as gregarious, a go-getter and someone who loves to network. Hence the informal resume is the best for you. If you are a copywriter then the creative resume is something that you can bet your last dollar on.
Resume style elements include the following:
Paper Quality & Type: The kind of paper that you use speaks volumes about you. White is the colour and no other shades of white or coloured paper is allowed in a professional environment.
Number of Columns: Choose the number of columns based on the information you want to pass on. There will be times when you would want to consider putting information in tables as it adds on to the overall presentation and makes the information easy to retrieve for the employer. Try and use highlighting mechanisms such as bullets and bold font in order to make relevant information stand out from the rest. The latest trend in resumes is the two-columned one as it is easy to read and can convey more information.
So lets go ahead and look at the two-columned resume style. Align it completely to the left, be as creative as possible and go ahead and use various fonts such as different for headlines and the overall text.
Different Font Types & Sizes: Be individualistic by using different approved fonts.The business world majorly accepts two fonts that is Serif fonts like those with feet like Times Roman, Bookman, and Georgia and Sans serif fonts those with no feet like Arial, Tahoma, and Verdana. Keep your reader’s computers in mind.Usually serif fonts are easy to read on all computers.The font size should be either 10 to 12 and the headings should be 12 to 14 points and no more. Be consistent with the font size throughout and same with the underlining or bold or italics used. You might want to print out one copy of your resume once you are done with drafting it to see how it actually looks in hard copy.
Text alignment & Bullets: .Always go ahead and align your text to the left. Whilst bulleting use standardised bullets such as circles or squares.
Visual elements / Images: Always remember that what applies in life applies in resumes too. The visual impact in a resume is the most important one. Hence see that you use tables to add on the appropriate style. Do not use any pictures they are inappropriate for resumes.
Use graphical styles such as tables, shading to highlight your achievements and draw the interviewer’s attention to it. Remember your resume is selling the idea to your employer about how you have unique talents to offer that separates you from the pack.
One Response to “RESUME WRITING STYLES WITH EXAMPLES”
November 27th, 2008 at 3:16 am
[...] reason for writing a resume is to generate results. You want to try and knock the socks off your reader so that he extends an [...]
Leave a reply