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Making sure your resume is in order
Following are instructions for how to with advantage of demo of these design concepts using Microsoft Word (MS Word). If you're working in an application other than MS Word, consult your manual to learn how to get the job done.
Bonus Check
A nice touch for your resume presentation is matching letterhead, and it's easy to create. On your computer, duplicate your resume and delete all the text except the Heading in the duplicate. Instant letterhead!
Fancy Fonts and Practical Print
Choosing the style of type for your resume can be fun. You have several choices, and each one has a slightly different look and feel. To help you pick one for your resume, let me explain the ABC's of type styles.
There are two categories of type (or font, as it's called in the business):
- Serif
- Sans serif
Either a serif or sans serif font is okay for your resume, but most graphic designers say that serif type is easier to read.
Serif's Up!
Serif type has little feet on its characters (see examples following). There are many serif fonts, ranging from super fancy scripts to basic typewriter print. For your resume, stay away from the two extremes and pick one that's mid-range so that your resume is easy to read and pleasing to the eye.
The following serif fonts are found on most word processing programsand are suitable for the job. As you can see from the resume samples in this book, serif fonts are what I use most of the time. Notice that I've printed each name in the font it represents so you can compare them all.
- New Century Schoolbook
- AGaramond
- Palatino
- Times
Job-Hunt Hint
To find the right typeface for your resume, try on a few by printing out several versions of your resume, each with a different font, so you can see which one you like most.
If you travel and need to be able to print your resume on the run, store it on your laptop computer, on a floppy disk, on a ZIP disk, or in your e-mail system so you can access it from remote locations. Most public computers and printers (such as those at libraries and copy centers) can produce your document with no problem if you've used the standard fonts listed in this section.
Simply Serif
Sans serif characters don't have little feet on them. Following are some sans serif fonts that I like.
- Helvetica
- Univers
To change the font in your MS Word document
- Select the particular text you want to change, or choose Select All from the Edit menu.
- Choose Font in your pull-down toolbar at the top of your screen.
- Highlight the font you want.
Once you get the hang of changing fonts, you'll be able to do it in the blink of an eye.
Does Size Matter?
Font sizes are measured by points, and with a few exceptions, those measurements are standard among the various fonts. Useeither 11 or 12 point for the text of your resume. Don't be tempted to use 10 point or smaller in order to make it all fit on one page; it'll be too hard to read.
The type size for your major headings (Job Objective, Summary of Qualifications, Professional Experience, and Education) should all be equal to each other and may be as small as 11 point and as large as 13 point. Choose the point size to please your taste, within the 11- to 13-point limit.
Although there is no standard size of type for your name on your resume, a good rule of thumb is that it should be no larger than 18 points and no smaller than 12 points.
You can adjust a font's point size by pulling down the Format menu from the toolbar. Then click Font and choose a size from the Size box.