Basic Design Tips for your Resume

It has been estimated that employers will usually take only thirty-five seconds to look at your resume before deciding whether to keep or discard it. To ensure that you will make it past that initial screening, you should design your resume in such a way that employers can read the document easily and process information quickly.

 

Remember the Quadrant Test

One piece of information I think is extremely helpful in preparing your resume is to remember that readers typically read from left to right and from top to bottom when information is "balanced" (about an equal amount of text and white space) on the page.  Make sure your resume has this "balance."

First, divide your resume into four quadrants, as seen in the example below.

Each one of the quadrants should have approximately an equal amount of text. This "look" is very appealing to any reader so keep it in mind while drafting your resume.

 

Use Easy to Read Fonts

Make sure you choose a font that will be both appealing to the eye and legible.  Some of the more popular fonts include: TImes New Roman, Garamond, and Arial.  Some students elect to choose a different font for their name and titles (such as EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, and ACTIVITIES & INTERESTS).

The key to using fonts in your resume is to be consistent. For example, if you decide to use a particular font for a main heading, do so for all your headings, and use the same font each time. Generally, you should use no more than two fonts in your resume. Remember that you want to keep the reader so don't get "overly creative" in selecting fonts for your resume.

The 20-second Test

I love this trick.  When you feel you have created your best resume, have someone perform the 20-second test on it. Simply time your reader for twenty seconds as he or she reads your resume. What all did he or she learn about you? If your reader noticed within twenty seconds what you want employers to learn about you, then most likely you have created an effective resume. If not, try moving important information to the first quadrant, checking that you have used sans serif and serif fonts consistently, and limiting the tools for emphasis you use in your document.