THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE FUNNYWhat To Do (And Not Do) For A Visually Appealing Resume

STAND OUT (For All The Right Reasons)

Through hours of diligent sifting and sorting, recruiters are tasked with finding the diamond in the rough. While you would expect your experience and qualifications to speak for themselves, a cluttered or unprofessional-looking resume will hardly get glanced over.

Learn the dos and don’ts of a visually appealing resume – focusing on an easy-to-read format with concise, relevant content.

White Space is Pleasing to the Eye

o Save your longest paragraphs and flowery prose for your memoir. The number one word to describe your sentences should be CONCISE.

o Format your resume with bullet points, bolded or underlined headers, or different size fonts – anything to break up the monotony.

o Break up your resume into sections, include: an objective, work experience, education and training, and any skills specific to your industry.

Don’t Be Cute

Emoticons, pink paper, and other cutesy embellishments have there place – it’s just not on your resume.

Also, avoid slang or sounding too conversational. Just like your work attire, your resume should never dip below business casual.

Try this instead: If you must use a paper color other than white, make sure it’s subtle and of high quality.

Speak Their Language

Research the company’s website to get a feel of their aesthetics and culture.

Look for industry specific language and see if you can naturally integrate it into your own descriptions.

Utilize their website and marketing materials for visual cues on how to format your resume.

Don’t Make Them Take Out The Red Pen

Try this instead: If you are unsure you are using a word correctly, look up its synonyms.

One of the most visually jarring things any recruiter can see on a resume is a spelling or punctuation error. Your resume is your chance to prove that you are detail-oriented and knowledgeable.

No Pictures, Please!

Though you and your family looked great on vacation, your resume is not the place for sharing your photo album.

Many recruiters find pictures in resumes off-putting, especially when they are less than, ahem, appropriate. Save the gym shots and snaps of your favorite ride for Facebook.

Also, with online applications, there is no guarantee your picture will load properly – avoid the risk altogether.

Try this instead: Include a link to your LinkedIn profile that has a professional photo of you.

When listing your employment history, make sure to include both the month and the year from when you began to when you left the company.

Many potential employers won’t like the vagueness of “2009 to 2010”. Did you work there for a year or a month?

Your resume is not the time to be mysterious. Not providing all the standard information expected on a resume will make yours look incomplete.

Avoid Vague Dates

Ready to Submit Your Resume?

Play it safe and get a second pair of eyes to review your resume. Besides looking for spelling and punctuation mistakes, ask your reviewer if the format is appealing.

Consider emailing your resume to a few friends to make sure the format is compatible with multiple platforms. Have them screenshot what they receive and see if anything needs to be fixed.

Contact Us

Only the most organized companies last – Recruiterbox gives your team the tools they need to simply and affordability find new recruits to built a better business. Never lose a resume again, with Recruiterbox you are able to manage contact information, weed out duplicate candidates, and search within candidate profiles.

Visit www.recruiterbox.com for a full list of this software’s power features.