Make Your Resume Easy on the Eyes

Ryan Mann

May 6, 2014

By Ryan Mann

Want me to let you in on a little secret? Odds are, the first person who views your application to that job you really want doesn’t fully enjoy looking at resumes. Sure, your resume may be beautifully written and you may have the perfect experience, but if your resume doesn’t make it past the initial screener, you won’t get considered for the job. While there are many resume-writing tips, here’s the tip of the day: make your resume easy on the eyes.

What do I mean by “easy on the eyes”? Let me remind you, the resume screener is staring at a screen, clicking through dozens–if not hundreds–of resumes for several different jobs. They are scanning the information as thoroughly yet efficiently as possible, so you want to make sure the information on your resume is as accessible as possible. Here are a few pointers to make your resume easier to screen. By doing so, you will raise your chances at making it to the next step:

Keep formatting consistent. If one job title is bold, make them all bold. If one resume section is underlined and written in CAPS LOCK, make them all so.

Keep the recent information at the top. Your recent information is most relevant. Don’t make the screener dig for it.

Bullet points are your friend. While paragraphs can explain things more in depth than simple bullet points, most resumes are served better with bite-sized bullet points than with novellas.

Obviously, if you’re not qualified for the job, all the formatting in the world isn’t going to help. But if you are, don’t allow a poorly formatted resume to hurt your chances.

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