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Here
are a few necessities to keep your resume professional:
- Use standard margins.
Typically the top margin is 1 inch, and the other three sides are 1.5
inches.
- Use left aligned
formatting so that the right edge is ragged. The words do not have to
be hyphenated, as they would be with justified formatting. Hyphens interrupt
the flow when reading.
- Use single spacing
between listings and double spacing between sections.
- The resume should
be laser printed or typeset.
- Highlight items
using boldface rather than changing fonts. Items such as your name,
employer’s name, name of institution that you wish to standout
can be bolded.
- Do not overdo usage
of underlining or capitalization. Minimize use of section changes as
it slows a reader’s eye.
- Use bullets to
highlight accomplishments. Keep bulleted information down to one or
two lines. Bullets make information appear crisp and clear. If the bulleted
information is lengthy, this effect is undermined.
- Keep the presentation
of information consistent throughout your resume. Lack of consistency
gives a resume an unprofessional look and indicates lack of organizational
capability.
- Succinct - language
is clear, concise and precise.
- Generally, a resume
should be no more than two pages. Often when one is longer than two
pages, the employer will not read the entire resume. A long resume
gives the employer the indication that you lack communication skills.
Most resumes are one page long.
- If your resume
is more than one page, in the header of the second page, include your
name and "page 2" (just in case the pages become separated
when in the hands of prospective employers).
- No spelling, grammar,
punctuation, or typographical errors.
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