How to Format a Resume

When writing your resume, format is important for a professional, clean look. You want to make the best impression possible on a potential employer, so creating a resume that catches their attention is essential. Many people, especially if they have never built a resume before, have trouble deciding where to place certain information on the page. Below, you will find some good tips and information regarding how to best format your resume.

Why your resume format matters

Why does it really matter where you place your information on the page? You want the most important data to jump out at an employer. Most are interested in accomplishments, skills, and qualifications that make you a good candidate for the job. An employer wants to know how your skills will directly benefit their company, so you need to make your resume really stand out from other applicants in some way.

What you want to avoid doing is going in to elaborate detail; summarize your information as much as possible, while still communicating key points to the person responsible for hiring.

Create this Resume

Basic resume format

Contact information: This should include your name, address, telephone number and email address.

Objective: Your objective should be written in a brief manner, outlining what you plan to do for the company ‘ what your goals are. This area is most important to a potential employer, and should make your abilities shine in the eyes of the employer.

Career Highlights and Accomplishments: In this section of your resume, you want to avoid listing job duties. You should write this information in a way that highlights your accomplishments and traits that made you successful in past jobs, relating the information in a way that directly impacts the position for which you are applying.

Experience: Here, you want to list previous jobs beginning with the most recent. List the name of the company, along with the dates of employment, position you held, job duties and responsibilities. You may want to omit jobs that are not relative to the position you are seeking.

Other information you want to include below this is educational background that includes any awards, degrees, honors or other special achievements. Below this, list any special skills or characteristics you possess that you feel qualify you for the position, followed by a short sentence explaining that references are available upon request.

When building your resume, format is important if you want to be considered for the job. List your information out as described above, and keep things as brief as possible. Simple, clean lines with a minimum of fancy detail is best, as you want the employer to be able to read easily across the page, scanning for essential details.

Format your resume using the tips offered in this article, then review and proofread several times to see if any improvements can be made. By doing so, you will likely be a star candidate for the job!