Your resume is one of your best marketing tools. The goal of your resume is to tell your individual story in a compelling way that drives prospective employers to want to meet you. In today’s competitive job market, a well-designed resume stands out from the crowd and indicates to employers that you have something extra to bring to the table. With just a few new ideas, you can breathe life into your work history and hopefully land that new job.
Create a Personal Brand
Your professional life is not just black type on white paper, and your resume should reflect your creativity and uniqueness. Turn the marketing eye on yourself, and highlight your unique selling proposition in your resume. Perhaps add a photo or sample of your current work, or include a photo of yourself. Use colors that will reflect your brand and pop for the reader.
Use Columns For Better Organization
A resume should be as short as possible while also including the best and most important highlights of your career. Rather than wasting white space to list employers and accomplishments sequentially down the pages, a column layout can be used to help organize information. An infographic approach is one way to pack in necessary information in a visually appealing way.
Be a Show Off
Your best work and most impressive clients should pop from the page. Don’t let the reader just stumble upon it amongst all the text. A sidebar is a great place to list achievements and successes. A call-out within the body of the resume will break up the text and draw the reader’s eye, especially those just scanning, to the important information.
Use a Design That’s On-Trend
If you are in the creative world, there’s no excuse for an outdated resume design. For instance, flat, colorful designs are currently a popular trend in just about every type of design, from websites to apps. Your resume design will tell your potential employers if you’re up to date with your sense of style.
Use a Distinguishing Orientation
For some professions, a simple change in page orientation to landscape can help you stand out in the crowd. Nothing shows a designer’s eye like flipping the standard around and creating a whole new look.
Be Ready When They Ask for a Different File Type
Be prepared to send your resume in several formats. PDF and Word are by far the most common, but be ready when you need a different file type (such as text).
Always Have a Cover Letter
Even if you feel as though no one will read it, make sure that you include a cover letter along with your resume. Those who do read your cover letter are the ones who genuinely care about what it says. Your cover letter could make the difference in a hiring decision, as it can reiterate the important information from your resume and allow you to speak in a more personal tone to the reader. In addition, creating a cover letter makes a statement about your overall approach to job search efforts.
The Right Template is Everything
Using the right resume template could be the difference between landing on the top or bottom of the potential hires stack. Browse our most popular resume templates and approach your job search with confidence.