How to Create a Professional Resume

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Hand written note reminding oneself to update their resume The resume that you offer prospective employers is not just a record of your educational and employment history, interests, accolades, and talents. This document is a crucial first impression that will be made to those people that you hope will hire you. This means that if you are not presenting a polished, effective professional resume, you can’t expect to get very far in the hiring process. Some employers may even skip your application entirely just based on their reaction to the way that you built and presented your resume.

There are some basic rules that you must follow when building your resume so that it is presented professionally, which will encourage hiring employers to pay more attention to the information presented within it. These rules include:

Thorough Proofreading

Nothing turns a hiring manager off quite as quickly as a resume that is filled with typographical errors, grammar problems, misspellings, and other demonstrations of lack of attention and care. These show that you did not take the time to ensure that your resume is correct and clean, which translates into a questionable work ethic and level of responsibility. After you have put together your resume, make sure that you go through it several times, running it both through a spell and grammar check, and reviewing it manually to make sure that any mistakes you have made are caught and modified.

Consistency

Consistency in your resume will demonstrate professionalism, dependability, and a basic level of attention to detail. Demonstrating consistency throughout your resume means choosing one symbol to illustrate points, whether that is bullet points, dashes, or numbers, and using the same font styles throughout the different sections, such as choosing either bold or italics. Having these elements consistent throughout your resume will help the document flow without frustrating the hiring manager.

Professional Presentation

You may want to stand out to the hiring manager of a new job, but you don’t want that to be because you have a garish or completely outlandish resume. Do not fall into the temptation of using an unusual or brightly colored paper or ink to catch the attention of the manager. This will only make you look amateurish and immature. Rather, you should use a high-quality white or cream paper with professional quality black ink. Use a font that is simple and easy to read, not ornate. You may think that this will show your personality, but it will only make it more difficult for the hiring manager to read through your resume, and may indicate that you are not a team player because you crave too high a degree of individual expression.

The Right Style

There are several different types of resumes that address the specific needs of different positions. It is important that you identify the type of resume that would be the most appropriate choice for the career that you want and make the most out of that style. Targeting your resume to the position that you hope for demonstrates your desire for the position and willingness to work toward specific goals.

By Marie Larsen