You hear this all the time, “don’t judge a book by its cover”. It is a concept that many of us consider before we rush to judge something.
Unfortunately for job seekers, hiring managers don’t live by this mantra.
Employers look through dozens, if not hundreds, of resumes when they are trying to fill a position.
When they are going through a ton of applications, the boring or messy-looking resumes are more likely to be discarded.
For that reason, make it an objective to have your resume be engaging, neat, and attractive.
There are a few strategies you can use to polish your document, as well as using an online resume template.
Making an organized resume will increase your chances of getting interviewed and hired for the job you want.
For instance, if you are searching for remote work from home jobs make sure your resume is fully optimized for all types of devices.
Why Is a Resume’s Appearance Important?
Everything written on your resume is important. However, you need to grab the recruiter’s attention.
What makes the appearance of a resume so important?
How the resume looks is not only a reflection of your work and educational experience. It is also a reflection of who you are as a person and employee.
A neat and organized document means you are likely an organized and competent employee and person.
An employer glances at your resume for only 6 to 7 seconds on average.
If they do not see a neat and well-structured document, there is a good chance it is met with a quick rejection.
The last thing you want to read after applying to a company is, “thank you for your interest, but we have decided not to move forward with your application”.
An engaging resume is more likely to be read. And therefore, there is more probability that a recruiter will contact you for an interview.
How Do Resume Templates Help?
An easy way to give your resume a more organized and professional appearance is to use a template.
There are websites with plenty of templates that you can choose from, and it makes the job much simpler.
It’s not easy for everyone to design a stand-out document. That is why resume templates can be extremely useful.
5 Tips for Editing Your Resume
Trying to edit your resume yourself is not an easy thing to do. Not everyone is or can be an expert resume builder.
That does not mean you can’t improve its appearance or make it look much more professional.
If you decide you want to make your document a bit more pleasing to the eye, then keep the following tips in mind.
Space Out Your Text
There should be at least 1-inch margins on your resume. Make sure there is noticeable space between the different sections of your document.
That way the information does not become too cluttered.
Keep the Bold and Italicized Words to a Minimum
It’s never a bad idea to draw a reader’s attention to what you want them to see.
However, if you over bold and italicize words, then your document becomes difficult to read.
You should also not underline anything in a resume. Underlined text is also difficult to read on a resume.
Use Bullet Points to Highlight Your Strengths and Experience
One of the best tools to use to show off a part of your resume is bullet points. Using this is a great and easy way to make a list without the section becoming unorganized.
Bullet points catch a manager’s eye so that they can quickly see your skills and experience.
Avoid Unnecessary Information
It’s only natural that you want to put every accomplishment or skill on your resume. However, it isn’t always necessary or even advisable.
This is especially true if you’re trying to tailor your resume to a specific job or sector.
You can leave off information unrelated to the vacancy, or at least not bring attention to it.
Stay Consistent
When writing a certain way with capital letters in titles or bolded words, make sure you remain consistent.
That means if one title is capitalized, then the rest need to be capitalized.
Doing this makes the resume easier to read for a hiring manager.
Author Bio:
Susan Noel is an experienced content writer. She is associated with many renowned business and technology blogs as a guest author where she shares her valuable articles with the audience.