Going through job applications is a tedious process. Knowing that, you must do everything within your power to grab the interest of the individual who will screen your resume.
1) Capitalize, bold, underline, or italicize for any reason. All too often, people looking for work are putting the emphasis in the wrong place, and when asked why, they don’t really know. One bad habit would be to highlight the name of an earlier employer. If your prior employer or employers are unknown companies, drawing attention to their name won’t make your candidacy stronger, which begs the question: why wouldn’t you get it done then? Should you have worked for an avant-garde company like Google or Apple, it might be smart to highlight their name. There is a presumption that these big companies only hire the cream of the crop, and so, the fact that you used to work there can surely bolster your standing. If, however, you worked at a small enterprise, it might be a much better idea to focus on the title of the position you held to attract attention to you.
2) Be consistent. As you write your resume, remain consistent with the formatting. That same formatting should be used for the cover letter that will accompany your resume. Why is consistency important? The obvious answer is that it will enhance the visual appeal of your resume. Beyond that, however, it will also allow recruiters to screen through your resume faster and locate the information they need more easily. Consistent formatting is key to having a clear and professional resume.
3) Use boxes, bullets, images, tables, and/or charts to draw attention to key aspects of your qualifications. This will help accentuate the impact that your resume will make. Again, remember that recruiters will only spend a few seconds screening each resume they receive. Without these visual aids, they might fail to see the full strength of your candidacy. Going through a resume should not be a laborious process. Make it simple for the recruiter, and he or she will thank you for that.
4) Use the header and footer functions of Microsoft Word. If you use another program, find out if there are similar functions. These features are very useful because they will ensure the consistency of the formatting throughout your resume. In the header, only put your name. At the top of page one of the resume, below the header, include your address and contact information. The reason for not including your address and contact information in the header of your resume is that you don’t want this information to be repeated on all of the pages of your resume. For the footer section, you should indicate the page number and reference to the total number of pages. Examples: 1/2, the first page of 2, or Page 1 of 2.
5) If you email your application, be sure to email a Word version and a PDF version. It is important to email a Word version if the recruiter has a program to scan the applications that are coming in. This will most often be the case for larger organizations. The PDF version is to ensure that, when the recruiter prints out a copy of the resume, it will keep its formatting.
If you use these 5 tips, you’ll enhance the appearance of your resume and will be one step closer to landing the interview.