As Resume Writers we find a lot of people want their resumes to stand out by using fancy script fonts, colored ink or printing on colored paper. Don’t be one of these people. All it does is make you look immature and insecure. It gives off the impression that you’re trying too hard to make a impress a potential employer which tends to be a major turn off.

Also, if the font is too fancy, employers might struggle to read through the contents of your resume. Enough studies have shown that if something is hard to read, you’re just not going to bother to read it.

Trying to be flashy with your resume style is the quickest way for it to end up in the trash. Which I’m sure was not your goal when you applied, right?

To keep your resume from such a doomed face, study an office letterhead you admire and try to make your resume look like that. You want it to look sleek, simple and professional.

Here are some guidelines, tips and tricks to help your resume look stylish but not childish:

* Condense lines as much as possible and put as much stuff on one line as possible without them being crammed together. For example: address, phone number and e-mail address can all go on one line. You can use dots to help separate information as needed (1234 Wee Sing Lane Any City, USA, 817.777.7575. j-doe@gmail.com)
* Use lines to separate your name and contact info from the rest of the resume. This helps your resume look like it’s been printed on professional stationery/letterhead.
* Consider using a font other than Times New Roman. But again, nothing too fancy. Stick to something that is similar to Times New Roman but maybe with more typographic subtleties that can help your resume stand out just a tad bit more. Try Georgia.
* Make sure your font size is neither too big nor too small. Depending on the font you choose, the size should range between 9pt and 12pt size. If your font is too big, it will look like you’re trying to make your resume look more extensive than it is (like you’re trying to falsely fill the page). If the font is too small, your resume will look squished and might be too hard to read.
* Make it easy to read by making each section heading more distinct. You can do this by adding horizontal rules above and below (or just below, if you prefer) each section heading.
* Use bold and italics to highlight important information such as job titles and company names.

Written by Mario Johnston – Consultant for Resume Doctors

Resume Doctors is a professional writing service with a twist, we get your current resume check and enhance it into a “killer resume”. We keep our service quality high and our fees low, from just $57.00. Visit http://www.resumedoctors.com.au Servicing all English speaking countries.

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