Setting up your resume can make a big difference to easily highlight your qualifications in the eyes of a recruiter or to get someone to read it. Although there are several suggestions and variations to set up the curriculum, for example chronologically (listing experiences in chronological order), functional (first listing the skills needed to fill a position) and in combination (combining both chronological and functional), experts recommend creating a tailored resume to fit the specific job you are applying for. However, there are some sections you should almost always include, as well as some formatting rules you should try to follow.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Include the Fundamental Sections
Step 1. Provide identifying information
You must include personal information such as your name and phone number in the header. Put this information in the header, so that it appears on all pages of the resume (if there is more than one page). You should enter:
- Your name.
- The address.
- The telephone number.
- The email.
- The link to your social media profile, personal site, etc. (optional).
Step 2. Enter a title
The first thing a reader needs to recognize after identifying you is the title of the resume. Consider entering the title of the position you are applying for and writing it in capital letters. Use a larger font than the rest of the text, and make it bold. If you have never put this title for previous jobs, you can write “Qualifications for” above the title. This will allow your resume to be noticed and make it clear your intention to show qualifications for the position right away. Some examples are:
- MARKETING MANAGER
- or: Qualifications for MARKETING MANAGER
Step 3. Add three to five basic or unique skills
Directly under the title, write several basic skills you have that are necessary for the job you are applying to. Separate each capacity using a “/“. You can decide which basic skills to add among those that characterize you and read the job description carefully to choose the most important ones. If you have the skills needed to do that job well, add them. For instance:
- Title: MARKETING MANAGER
- Under the title: strategic marketing / social media marketing / search engine optimization
Step 4. Create a table of contents
After the title and basic skills, you should write a short paragraph (called a summary) that briefly highlights your skills and experience. This section should be 3-5 sentences long and should highlight your most important skills, experiences and achievements related to the job you are applying for. Try to use short, powerful sentences for this section to tell the reader who you are and what you can do. You might include:
- A sentence that clarifies who you are and your best relevant transversal skills such as “motivated and result-oriented”.
- Years of experience, titles, sectors. For example, “sales person with over 5 years of experience in the software industry”.
- Important acknowledgments. For example “Recognized as the best sales employee in the western regions”.
- Indicate your educational qualification, degree, and essential or preferred certifications from that employer (such as Black Belt Six Sigma).
- Mention the most important findings. For example “it contributed to the annual sales growth of 25%”.
Step 5. List the key competencies
Below the summary, you should list the skills required by the position you are applying for. Just as you listed some essential skills at the beginning of the resume, you need to expand this list by choosing the most important skills and qualifications needed for the job you are applying for. The skills section must:
- Have a bulleted list with multiple columns. Choose professional-looking points that go well with your resume format. Examples are , , or -. In order not to have a long list of points on the first page, use 2 or 3 columns to shorten the resume.
- List skills using just a couple of words for each. This will make it easy to read and allow the reader to scroll through the list quickly.
- Do not list more than 15 skills. Although the length of individual skills varies from job to job and from person to person, it is suggested to make the list short. The more skills you add, the easier the reader will skip certain skills.
Step 6. Remember to list both technical and soft skills
Technical skills are those that can be taught to do a job better. Soft skills are personal traits or attributes that can affect the ability to perform tasks.
- Examples of technical skills: identification of potential customers and market research.
- Examples of soft skills: problem solving and interpersonal skills
Step 7. Make a title "Professional Experience" or "Relevant Experience"
You should use the term “Professional Experience” when your path up to that point coincides with the one you are applying for. You can use the term “Relevant Experience” if you have recently graduated and use your qualifications and projects to show your ability to do the job. When listing your experience, use descending chronological order with the most recent experience first. It is also recommended that you only list jobs from the past 10 years. For each position listed try to include:
- The company name, address and date you worked there: ABC Company - Rome, Italy. June 2006 - today
- Indicates the position held in bold in the row below as Sales clerk.
- Add a short description below the location. The description should give you a general idea of the responsibilities you had for that job.
- Emphasize the results by putting the most important information on a bulleted list that will be appealing to the recruiter or manager you will meet for that position.
Step 8. Create an “Education, Certifications and Training” section
You must list the degrees you have obtained or are in progress after high school. Don't add high school unless you're still in high school. If you have completed or signed up for training courses taught by a professional organization, include them in this section. When creating the title, add only the most suitable words.
- For example, if you have a bachelor's degree and have completed a vocational training course but have no certification, the title should be "Education and Training". As in the experiences section, here use the following format:
- The name of the university or company and the address: Santa Clara University-Santa Clara, CA.
- On the next line write the title, the name of the course or the certification obtained on the completion date: Bachelor of Business Administration, May 2000.
Step 9. Include additional sections where relevant
While the sections listed aren't essential to every resume, some may be included in yours. These sections will be crucial depending on the type of position you are applying for and your experience. If the job description includes it and you have the experience, add it to your resume! These sections are:
- Contributions. The submissions that are important to showcase your achievements can be listed in this separate section.
- Presentations. If you are applying for a job that requires experience on a certain topic or one of your main tasks will be presenting to others, add your experience with introductions in this section.
- Publications. Add this section if you are considered an expert and have published articles or other documents on a topic important to the position.
- Languages. Add this section only if you speak, read and / or write in other languages other than your native language and the position requires it.
- Affiliations. By listing your professional affiliations and memberships you show your commitment to a career.
- Commitment to the Community. It might be okay to list volunteer experiences that show how much you enjoy contributing and that describe your interests. This is especially good if you are applying for a job at a company that is committed to the community.
Method 2 of 2: Change the Page Layout and Font
Step 1. Choose the right paper size
Usually the right size is set by default in all programs. The most common size in Europe, Africa, Oceania and South America is A4.
If you are applying for a job abroad, it is important to check the standard resume size. If you use Microsoft Word, you can change the size on the “Page Layout” tab
Step 2. Format the margins
Next, you need to set the margins. The default margins might be 2.5cm, but you can reduce them down to 1.27cm.
When choosing margins narrower than 2.5 cm, it is important to make sure that all information is printed on the page
Step 3. Select the font and its size
Simple, legible fonts are fine for a resume. The most recommended are Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman or Verdana. Once you've chosen the format, you need to keep it the same throughout your resume. It is also important to choose a size that is neither too small to read nor too large and which takes up too much space.
Try to choose a size between 10 and 12 points for the main parts of the resume and 14 or 16 for the name and title. Using different font sizes to distinguish titles helps the reader recognize different parts of the resume. For example, the title "Education" may be a couple of points larger than the information contained in that paragraph
Step 4. Establish the spacing
Also in the "Page Layout" tab you can change the spacing in the resume by selecting a part of the document and changing the "Before" and "After" spacing. Try to set single or 0 point spacing between lines in the same paragraph or bulleted list, but no more than 1.5.
For the spacing between sections and titles it is recommended to set between 4 and 8 pt, so that the spaces between sections and titles are easily noticed
Step 5. Choose a border to divide the sections
When defining sections and titles, you can help highlight them by placing a border. Borders can go up, down or around the title (whichever you prefer). There are also different styles, colors and line thicknesses to choose from. Try a few before you decide.
Remember to use the same border throughout your resume
Step 6. Add page numbers if your resume is longer than one page
It is important to add page numbers to the resume so the recruiter knows they have the complete document. Since you will have a title at the top of the page with your personal information, the page number will be placed in the footer.
There are several ways to indicate the page number, you can feel free to choose the one that comes closest to your preferences. However, it is recommended to specify how many pages are total, for example “Page 1 of 3”
Advice
- How you organize the basic sections is up to you - just make sure you include the important information mentioned in this article in some section of your resume.
- If you are applying for a position overseas, look for country-specific requirements and see if you need additional information such as nationality, marital status or a photograph.
