Regardless of the content one thing that we cannot stand and the one thing I think most recruiters can agree upon is the FORMATTING! This is the KEY to your Resume. It can truly be the one thing that will make or break your resume when it hits my desk for viewing. Here are a few reasons as to why the formatting is so important:
Easy Eye Flow
6 Seconds! If you do not have simple, easy to follow, formatting then you will simply be placed aside. We need to have a style or some type of format to follow that can lead the interviewer eyes to the key points on your resume. Otherwise, it will get lost.
Easy to Read
Along with eye flow people have to READ your resume. There could be situation where we cannot read your resume because of the style of text you choose. DO NOT lose out on a job because you want to get creative on the text style. Keep it simple. Times is classic.
Pin-pointing to your skills
This comes into play with the combination of points 1 & 2. When you have an easy flow with your format and a good, easy to read, text then point 3 takes care of itself. With the right format and simple text then everything should lead me to your key points. Make your name bigger than the rest of the text up top. Have some type of contact info. List your education and dates of completion. List your professional experience that is relevant to the position and dates of work. Tailor your skills/experience from a job to fit the job description you are applying to but only if you have/used the skills. DO NOT LIE on a resume!
It is simple to keep the attention for more than 6 seconds if you have the right skills for a job. However, if you do not FORMAT your resume for be able to read it then, people will not waste more than 3 seconds on your resume. Make sure to use Resume Blaster resources to build a resume. Keep it simple but to the point. You can add flare but in a noninvasive way on the information. We are not saying that having a poor format will not get you a job, as many have found jobs with poor formatting - if any at all. We are saying that in an overcrowded market of candidates it doesn't hurt to stand out in a good way.
This article was originally written by Kelly Loudermilk,
Recruiter & Marketing Manager at Astra Solutions - Let's make Beautiful Hires Together!
Inspired and derived from: https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140730183343-323775485-the-key-to-a-successful-resume
