Resume Design Tips

Setting Up a Career with a Modern and Professional Design

Jan 3, 2009 Sarah Spiker

Resume design is an important part of the presentation process. A modern, yet professional design scheme can increase a resume's attractiveness and add to its content.

A cohesive design strategy can augment the content of the resume itself, while a shoddy or plain document can force the content to fade into the background of an employers choice of potential picks. Use these handy design tips to brighten up a resume.

Color

Color should be used in moderation and saved for accents rather than large portions of the resume. Opt for coordinating headings and subheadings in varying shades of a power color to draw the employers eye. Colored headers with matching horizontal lines will add to the organizational content of the resume.

  • Red dominates as an assertive leadership attitude. Because of its bold nature, red should be saved for headings or sidebars to highlight attention to the document, but not to direct it. Bright reds may be distracting, so candidates should choose deep, rich yet vibrant tones to highlight their resume.
  • Green will convey a spirit of growth, depending on the shade. Opt for rich, medium-toned greens with minimal, abstract designs to summon creativity and spontaneity in a professional manner.
  • Blue signals stability, an important trait in today's economic environment. Avoid robin egg shades as they tend to be childish in their general appearance. A deep, rich navy is both professional and suitable for most applications, even for traditionally conservative positions.

Resume Simplicity

Resumes should follow a simple rule of thumb: one "gotcha" factor per application in terms of design. Between headers, sidebars, and executive profile boxes, a resume can quickly become cluttered. Use design factors to highlight one significant portion of the resume, rather than everything on the page to provide a more focused resume.

Uncommonly Standard Fonts

Times New Roman is out. Fonts should be professional, but individuals should branch out beyond the tried and true standards. Avoid obvious non-formal fonts-such as Comic Sans-because they may discredit the individual. For the body of a resume, Bodoni MT, Palatino Linotype, and Century Schoolbook are excellent choices. Copperplate Gothic makes for an excellent heading and subheading due to their standard capitalization form. However, for continuity a resume may contain the same font throughout, using all capital letters for the headings to differentiate between content and organizational structures.

Balance

Resumes should be balanced, sharing equal content on both sides of the paper. Everything in a resume should line up vertically on the page: dates lined up with dates, employers lined up with other employers, etc. Draw a vertical line down the page and the beginning letter of all similarly categorized items should touch that line. If creating a resume from scratch (i.e. not from a template), the "tab" function on the keyboard should be used to align these components.

Perfect Paper

Especially for careers in the environmental industry, applicants may opt to print their resume on paper alternatives with eco-friendly ink, with a note at the bottom indicating the conscious choice. Employers in other professional industries will appreciate the decision and note a creative thinker.

Paper alternatives:

  • Non-bleached, recycled paper
  • Rice paper
  • Kenaf, a fibrous plant relative to cotton
  • Farm-grown bamboo paper

White Space

"White space" can be used to make a resume easy on the eyes. The concept is simple: leave enough of the page blank – without writing – in order to make the content pop on the page. Credentials and experience can get lost in a slew of writing. Individuals should try to create patterns of white space to break up the content and add to organization in a modern resume.

Resumes must meet high standards of aesthetic appeal to capture an employers attention. By making conscious choices when it comes to the creation of this important professional document, individuals can increase the profile of their resume.

The copyright of the article Resume Design Tips in Career Advice is owned by Sarah Spiker. Permission to republish Resume Design Tips in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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