One of the main benefits of using a resume template is the styles and margins are already set. You want to always use a template that has plain fonts with a high readability score. Don’t get fancy, even with your name. That is a huge turn off for reviewers. Remember that they read hundreds of resumes, so don’t add to their eye strain. Margins are another area best to leave alone. Look at the resume template and you will see the default margin is wide. This decreases eye strain and allows room for note-taking too.
The Paper Choice Counts
The paper you print your resume on counts a great deal – source: Resumeshoppe.com. The days of the creamy linen resume stock are over. The only positions it is appropriate to use such paper for is if you are applying for a job as a CEO or paper designer. Everyone else needs to stick to normal bond paper. As more companies are using filter software that will scan the resume first, making sure your information scans well is more important than how it feels in someone’s hands. Your resume, if it passes the filter, will be copied and distributed for review so no one will touch your fancy weight paper anyway.
Be Original and Stand Out, without Losing your Professional Appeal
There are stories about people who delivered their resume as a cake, or tied it to a brick, or sent it along with a yardstick custom printed with their contact information because the company would need it to measure them against the competition – but these stories are rare. When you hear the advice to make your resume “stand out,” there are few positions where stunts like those are going to work. Keep it simple, and make the part that stands out the presentation of your skills and accomplishments. There is too much competition to make giving someone a chuckle and having them discard your resume before reading it worthwhile.
Using a Resume Template is the Only choice to Make
Using a resume template is the only choice when you look at where your time should be spent. You could teach yourself to produce a professional resume, but the fact is that is probably a skill you don’t need. Resumes are complicated enough, and your time should be spent working on the content of your resume, not how it looks.
