Rosemary

The way you format your resume is almost as important as what your curriculum vitae actually says. When you submit a CV, you need to remember that you are going to be one in a stack of resumes. Employers and potential employers scan the CV, often looking for keywords, before they decide if they want to consider you as a serious candidate for a job. What stands out the most about your resume is its format,in addition to key words. It is essentially the first thing individuals will notice and there are a number of rules you should keep in mind when formatting your resume.

First, begin with a blank page and avoid using templates that are already available in Microsoft Word because these templates are outdated, and they will make your resume appear generic and uninviting. Additionally, these templates, while well laid out in Microsoft Word, will not translate well when emailed or uploaded to job search engine web sites. You can find samples of resumes on the Internet; search for resumes by your industry to find the templates that make most sense for the job you are seeking.

A curriculum vitae should consist of one page but if you have a lot of experience, you can write up to two pages. It is also beneficial to list only your skills for that job. Even if you are applying for a job in a creative field, do not insert images or pictures into it. If you are looking to show off your creativity, you can do so in a separate portfolio of your work.

The page should have one inch margins, top and bottom, right and left, using left justification only and as a rule, do not center the content of your curriculum vitae with the font and font size, consistent. Typically the headline and your name should be displays in the same manner but make the headline in bold and capitalized. Avoid formatting any details with an underline because if you use it on an Internet web site, the underline can be interpreted as a link. The font size for headlines should not exceed 14 points with the remainder of the text not exceeding 12 points.

Alignment of text in your CV is important; therefore, be aware of your spacing and tabbing, stay consistent, and use tabbed indentations rather than spaces if possible. Work under the assumption that the person you are sending your resume to does not have the same computer programs that you do, and so it might not look the same way on their screens. You may have problems with margins, paragraph spacing, bullet points, and more! You must format the curriculum vitae properly, ensuring that you keep the spacing, the font and bullet points as consistent, basic and uniform as possible.

As a last check, have your friends and family review your resume for any errors and their personal opinions or concerns. Print it out and review to make sure that margins are accurately set, and that the content doesn’t appear crowded on the page, keeping in mind – when it comes to your resume, sleek easy appearance, and great writing, will get you the job you are looking for.