How do you choose the best resume layout and design for your career level and field?

Different industries have varying expectations when it comes to resume design. For example, a creative field like graphic design may allow for more visually appealing and artistic layouts, while a more traditional industry like finance or law may prefer a more conservative and professional design. Research the norms and expectations within your specific field to guide your decision.

This is critical as you want to capture attention and drive action from your reader. I agree about research. Some fields require a CV rather than a resume (academia). Another example is law, where they don't want to read about the things that are typically expected for a role - they want strong accomplishments with metrics.

I recommend that job seekers stick with a chronological resume. It really is the clearest format and easiest for the reader to digest. If you have earlier career experience that you are looking to emphasize, be sure to share that in your executive summary (vs moving to a functional format).

Consider the key information that employers in your field typically look for and adjust your resume layout accordingly. For example, if your work experience is highly valued in your industry, prioritize a reverse chronological layout that showcases your most recent and relevant positions. If your skills or certifications are more important, opt for a functional or skills-based layout that highlights these qualifications.

While you always need a large portion of your resume chronological with clear job titles, companies, dates, and accomplishment statements, different careers and career levels are best communicated with some variations. For example, new grads and early career would place education information near the top. Transitioning job seekers can use a hybrid approach with an expanded summary section highlighting transferrable skills and accomplishments followed by a chronological section. An executive will likely have something similar with key career accomplishments near the top. Relevance and readability are critical regardless of the format. I definitely would not ever do a completely functional format.

Keep it simple. Recruiters want to identify you are qualified quickly and not see that you have a strong command of Canva (unless that's the job, of course). Recruiters look at hundreds of resumes per week minimum...they want to see information in predictable spots. Be creative outlining your achievements within the confines of the function of a resume. Consider where the eyes of recruiters will go when they read it (I recruited for 13 years...so I know this is important). I see too many job seekers choose fancy layouts that essentially kill of the functionality of their resume. A good designer of anything needs to always factor in how the creation will be used to be effective--otherwise it is just a pretty useless thing.

Clean and clear is best. I love Canva, but I wouldn't use it for a resume template. Anytime that you add an extra feature (like columns or pictures), you are increasing your chances of your resume format being off when it is downloaded. In most cases, your resume is not being graded for visual creativity. Take the time that you would have used for a fancy template and put it through showing your value through quantified results.

Using templates from design sites can hinder the readability of your resume by ATS systems. These technologies often "flatten" the PDF so that you can't select the text. This means the ATS cannot "read" the text because it can't copy or parse it. Using Word or Google Docs is a much better solution because these are actual word processors. Use the templates for networking and printing your resume, but follow the best practices of using a text-based resume to file online applications.

A great resume needs 5-10 minutes of tailoring. Here's what I tailor: The summary. Answer specific questions from the job description. In most job descriptions, you will find a paragraph summary of the job. Be sure you "retell" how you are the right candidate for that role in your summary. The skills or core competencies. Add skills to your resume that are directly mentioned or required in the job announcement. ChatGPT is great at helping you derive those. I add the job description and ask for resume keywords. Saves tons of time. Accomplishments related to the job requirements. If a job description asks for experience documenting business requirements, share an example in your recent experience of how you contributed to this.

Take it from a former recruiter with over 20 years of experience. White Space is your Friend! White space, or the empty areas on your resume, is crucial for visual balance and readability. Avoid cramming too much information onto one page. Instead, use strategic spacing to create clear sections and make it easier for recruiters to navigate your resume. Adequate white space also helps draw attention to key points and improves overall aesthetics.

It's OK to use tables. I would steer clear of text boxes. One way to see how ATS will look at your resume is to save it as a text file.