Presenting Your Resume With A Different Style
Different resume formats are being used to give structure and make your resume easy for the interviewer to read it. Applying resume styles or design to your resume not only makes your document stand out, it also gives life and encouragement for your employer to really read through it.
Resume styles can either be informal, creative or both. It is important that you allow your chosen style not only to have them see some creativity in you towards your future career, but also to introduce your personality to fit the position that you are currently aiming for.
The different elements of resume styles include the ff:
Paper
Columns
Fonts
Alignment
Bullets
Graphics
These six elements will allow you to spice up your resume and at the same time, have it presented in an orderly fashion similar to the traditional and formal resume formats.
A common misconception is the use of colored paper as a medium for your resume. Colored paper will indeed make your resume stand out but it will also make your presentation look pushy and manipulative since the use of this material for business purposes is inappropriate in the first place. Always stick to the basics and use plain white paper along with traditional black text.
Using multiple columns versus the traditional one-column look creates enough space for you to be creative with the use of shadings and lines. This allows you to segregate different information since the white spaces in between the columns are readily available to be used as natural dividers.
As for the choice of fonts, its best to use a combination of serif and sans-serif fonts to allow variations and at the same time, it still makes your resume stay and look professional. Like the traditional formatting of resumes, be sure to emphasize key information like headings with the use of one font style and then using a different style for the resume body. A good example is to use sans-serif fonts for the headings and a serif font for the body. Don’t be afraid to experiment a little before deciding on your final layout by printing out a copy of your resume several times using different combinations so that you can actually see on how your resume would look like in print.
When aligning the text in your resume, keep in mind that the use of plain justified text is fine but always be aware that justified text may often leave unexpected spaces on your presentation. The best choice with regards to styling your resume is to have it left-aligned and bulleted so that it retains a clean and professional look similar to traditional formats.
Standard bullets like the square, the disc and the circle will all serve as the proper bullets of choice. Refrain from using designed bullets like stars or crosses. Also, be consistent by using only one type of bullet throughout your whole resume to maintain a professional look.
Lastly, don’t forget to throw in some graphical elements to your resume. When adding in visuals, this doesn’t mean that you should be filling your document with pictures. Instead, utilize table cells, horizontal or vertical lines and shadings to draw attention and divide information into sections that helps you present your skills and talents to your future employer in a unique and eye catching way.
