Resume Style Resume Format, Length and Fonts

Resume Style Resume Format, Length and Fonts Resume PresentationWriting a resume is like exercising You may notlage look forward to it, but you feel better once its done. And like the results of a good workout, a well-presented resume can help you keep your career in shape.But when writing a resume, what works and what doesnt? We thought wed turn to Monster members like you for advice. Here are some tips from both job seekers who write resumes and hiring professionals who read them for a living. Keep in mind that like resumes, opinions can vary -- what works for one person may not work for you.Title and ObjectiveA strong, descriptive resume title will help you stand out in a sea of resumes. Titling your resume Joes do-it-all resume or 1975 hottie looking for a job resume gets your resume passed over by a busy recruiter, says one Monster member who should know -- hes a recruiter himself. Make the title useful. For instance, Nursing Director, Pediatrics Labor and Delivery or IT Telecom Project Manager, Microsoft and Cisco Certified or Enterprise Software Sales Manager, Life Sciences -- enough with the stupid titles we dismiss and make fun of. This is your career were talking about.And an objective must get an employers attention quickly or it wont get any attention at all, says a district manager for a wireless company. I receive hundreds of resumes on a monthly basis, he says. Two-thirds of the resumes are rejected due to the applicant having no clear objective in seeking employment with my company. Your resume must grab my attention within the first few words of the objective. It must be clearly written and relevant to the lage you are applying for. Take a little extra time and customize the objective to the position you are seeking. If you cannot sell yourself with your resume, you might not have the opportunity to sell yourself at an interview.Look and FeelAs for typeface, you had definite opinions. Dont use Times New Roman font, advises one seeker. Your resu me will look like everyone elses. Georgia and Tahoma are both different, professional and pleasant to look at.But another job seekers font advice is more practical Use Times New Roman or Arial Narrow instead of other wider fonts to keep your resume to only one (or two) pages and save paper.Monster Resume Expert Kim Isaacs recommends using a standard Microsoft Word-installed font so the layout will be consistent when an employer opens your resume. No matter what font you use, she suggests you stick with one per resume. Also, the type should be large enough to be read on screen without causing eye fatigue, she says.For the hard copy of your resume, make sure you invest in good paper stock, says one HR professional who has also composed and drafted resumes for professional clients. Before our prospective employer even takes one glance at our resume, there is something they do first, and that is FEEL it, she says. Having handled nearly hundreds of resumes each week, I think most people would be amazed how much notice you can get with a resume on good-quality paper. Sometimes it is not even a conscious thought, just as you shuffle stacks of resumes from here to there, making all the appropriate piles to serve your needs, you always tend to linger just a little longer over that one resume with paper that feels a little heavier, like the cotton/linen blends or the one that feels just slightly different than normal, like the parchments. You can double the effect if you choose good-quality paper in a professional color other than white.LengthWhen President Lincoln was asked how long a mans legs should be, he said they should be able to reach from a mans body to the floor. Likewise, your resume should be long enough to sell you properly without overstating your accomplishments.But of course, you had opinions on this, too. The consensus on resume length is simple Keep it short. There are exceptions, though. Never exceed one page, unless you have 15-plus years of experien ce and are applying for a job in upper management, advises one job seeker. Make sure that your resume remains one page and formatted properly, even when viewed in different formats and different views -- if someone opens your resume in a view other than the one you created it in and sees a hanging line, it looks unprofessional.Style and GrammarFinally, it may seem like grade-school advice, but it bears repeating Although I try to counsel people on how to write a raving resume and an awesome cover letter, Im consistently shocked at how many resumes and cover letters I receive from people that are plagued with misspelled words, grammatical mistakes and basically little or no time spent proofreading prior to sending, says one Monster member whos been in the staffing industry for 15-plus years. In an era when competition seems to be one of an applicants worst enemies, it seems that one would want to do everything possible to stand out in the crowd. Trust me I wont give a second thought to deleting a resume and/or cover letter that is fraught with mistakes.