More Resume Formatting Tips

Here at Lucent Education, we must take it for granted that there are some pretty straightforward principles around resume formatting.  It's a fairly easy and fun design task for us to work off of your current formatting (usually) and keep your stylistic flavor while modernizing - there are rare cases when we totally revamp the resume formatting.  Here are some tips that go a bit beyond the general template of a resume:

• Margins - don't make them too narrow since sometimes the resume is still printed out, so at least half an inch on each side
• Still need to be able to read it - so 10 pt font is the absolute smallest!
• Check alignment of the dates - easy to check for, but typically missed; important because it's easy to spot and looks sloppy if misaligned
• Need more space?  Try changing a line to 5 pt font instead of a full space when you're between sections
• If you have 2 pages, be sure to number them on a footer (and to put your name there, too, in case the pages get separated)
• Many people are still using Times New Roman - time to update that to a more modern font like the standard Calibri or Calibri Light
• Generally, up to about 10 years, you can fit your resume onto one page - unless you've had some amazing experience that merits 1.5 pages

Don't forget, read your resume as if you're a recruiter.  It only needs the information on there to get you that interview (and sometimes for a hiring manager to see your experience further back).  So, it sometimes hurts to cut out pieces of your work history because you lived it (and it was important!), but the resume isn't where you dictate your entire life's work; it's a personal marketing tool to help you get an interview.

Good luck!