How can you use formatting and design tools to showcase your skills?

As recruiters spend little time on the initial screening, it's critical to ensure that the most important and relevant information is placed on the first half of the first page. If a key information is at at the bottom of the second page, it may be overlooked (hopefully, your resume is not longer than 2 pages). This is why one format doesn't fit all. For some, education is important to be showcased, for some recent experience is more relevant than studies. I recommend playing with structure and sections in your best interest.

Are you in a creative field? Then, you can be more creative in your resume format. If you aren't, then take a look at the resumes on the website for BlueSkyresumes (add the .com). BlueSky is my competition, but I'm always happy to cite their resume samples as exemplary ones for others to follow!

Keep It Simple! You want a professional, creative, but subtle format that presents and supports your career growth. Frame your experience, skills, and accomplishments in a format that allows your content to 'flow' within a resume structure that does not detract from the content. Format equals Presentation. And presentation is 50% of the reason why you are called for an interview. A well-formatted resume creates a positive first impression, arranges content effectively, strengthens readability, and captures attention, making it easier for recruiters and hiring managers to find and review your experience and expertise. Present yourself as an individual; steer away from online templates. Imagination works; whimsy does not.

Here is what I would do. Choose the right format. Use consistent and clear fonts. Add some color and graphics. Align and space your content. Proofread and preview your resume. PS. Remember there are 8 different types of resumes and over 49 various Converting Copywriting Formulas one can use to showcase their skills by making different Proposals for each position you apply for (Customization) shows great critical thinking skills.

Opt for clean and clear formats with topics where readers expect them. For example, your reader is less likely to find credentials in the summary or find languages if they're combined with technical skills. Don't go overboard with colors or style elements. Hiring authorities consistently report that they prefer simple over slick.

You can't go wrong with sans serif fonts (fonts without those little tails on the end) as they can be just as easily read when your resume gets printed out -- or when it gets read on a desktop, laptop or mobile device. Examples of sans serif fonts include calibri, ariel, century gothic.

A few great fonts that are clear and show up great in all sizes are Calibri and Arial. I recommend using one font for the entire resume. I would not use fancy fonts as they may be harder to read at a glance when being reviewed by recruiters. The top of your resume should include larger words to highlight important pieces of who you are, what you are looking for, and how you can bring value to any position. You can also use bold to highlight company names or job titles. You can be somewhat creative with bold, and italic as long as it is all in the same font. Use these to highlight important details.

When choosing body fonts, make sure to opt for fonts that are not too wide and that are easy to read. Font choice is subjective but fonts popular with resume writers include Calibri (my personal favourite), Cambria, Lato, Garamond, Verdana and Georgia. Be wary of unusual fonts that aren't recognised by other computers. Often, when people are sending files to others and they display strangely, this may be the reason.

Windows fonts remain the safest in terms of content coming through. They're also less likely to suffer from file compatibility issues.

Using Arial font and size to 10 always works charm if you want your resume to be readable. The font reflects smooth on the resume without any italics look.

I'm not a fan of design for design's sake -- and instead suggest design elements like color, bold, shading to highlight an idea or to draw the reader's attention where you want it to go. As an example: if you want company names to standout, highlight those using bold. If the job titles are more impactful -- you'd use bold here.

It's pretty safe to incorporate color to words you'd like to highlight or to lines. Some simple shapes or shading can also guide the eye strategically through the page, but make sure any shapes are placed BEHIND the text to ensure greater readability and compatibility. If you're unsure, skip it. Better that the hiring authorities can read the text than struggle to convert and read a file.

Graphics and color are appropriate to use on your resume if your career is artistically based. If not, using any color other than black could be distracting to the reader. Making headings bold font is a great way to help the reader delineate sections on your resume, so definitely use that tool.

- Use a clean and organized layout. - Bold and Capitalize the headings of each section - Use 3-5 bullet points to list your achievements - Use professional and ATS-compliant fonts and adjust font size accordingly. - Add tables if you have many skills and certifications. - If you have too many skills, divide them into two parts; 1) Technical skills 2) Non-technical skills - Include white spaces in your document to increase readability.

I'm not a fan of color, graphics, charts, icons or logos on a resume. The goal is to make it easy for someone on the other side of the desk, or in most cases the screen, to be able to quickly skim your resume and be able to focus on what you can bring to the new job. Many of these design elements are more distracting than beneficial, especially when someone is trying to read your resume online. A plain, simple, dull boring Word format is best. The focus should be on the content, and making it easy for someone to see how you fit the job.

Skim online readers have a tough time digesting dense text. I recommend keeping paragraphs/bullets to no longer than 3 lines, and adding .5 points of space in between each one. When it comes to bullets -- more than 5 or 6 are more apt to be read when broken down into subcategories.

Where possible I believe the Resume/CV needs to be tailored to the role and company applied to. For example the Profile can display this but also another technique I recently picked up was using a colour coding system. Use a marker pen to highlight in the job description what the employer is looking for eg teamwork, communication, problem solving etc. Give each of these desired skills a colour eg Green for Teamwork, Yellow for problem solving etc. Then use the pens to colour everywhere where you describe an achievement that links to that desired requirement. If you have done your job properly then the CV should show all these colours ideally in roughly equal numbers. Once complete don't forget to remove the colours from your resume/CV!

You would think by now this wouldn't even come up, but it needs to. I always recommend having a friend or colleague read it. Sometimes, when we've stared at a document for too long, we cannot see the error right in front of our eyes. Have a second set of eyes look at it. You'll be glad you did!

Ideally, find a professional or colleague to edit your resume for you. If you need to DIY the edit, take a break and get some mindspace. After a pause, return to the text and read it from the end to the beginning. This will help you catch more errors.

In my experience there are too many resumes with misspelled words or words used in the wrong way. Someone who is highlighting their attention to detail, but missed things on their own résumé is hindering their ability to attract the audience they desire

Ultimately, content is king in a resume - but design can be its queen. This means, first and foremost, a resume needs stellar, well-aligned content to perform at its best...but don't forget about the formatting! The best resumes are professional in appearance and easy to follow. And yes, you can consider strategic design components to help guide the reader's eye and make key content pop off the page. A great resume blends the best of both content and design.

Relevancy needs to be said. Is your resume and career history relevant to the role you are applying for? If not, you may want to rethink it. If you don't have the skillset or the transitional skills for the role, you'll be disappointed when you aren't selected to interview.

The purpose of your resume is to get an interview for a position or role. The purpose of that interview is to get another interview, and so on, until you get the offer. The resume is the key that starts this series of events. Your resume’s formatting and design should be driven by this idea. The resume must be perfect, spotless, error-free, not just the content but also how the whole thing is packaged, how the whole thing looks and works. Many design principles will help you: white space, grid systems, strategic use of graphics. Good design is invisible. It conveys information without distractions or obstructions. If you notice the design, there’s likely something off that needs to be fixed. Ask a Graphic Designer or a UI/UX friend.

Remember that your resume should be focused on the skills and accomplishments you can bring to the new job. Recruiters and hiring managers don't care about everything you have ever done, just what you can do for them. The easier you make it for someone to quickly see how you match what the job is looking for, that you can do what they want, and that you are comfortable doing what they want without a lot of the extras you might bring that have nothing to do with the job for which you are applying, the more likely you are to get a call for an interview. And after all, the point of the resume is to get your foot in the door for an interview.