Why Resume Format is Important?

The right resume format makes it easier for a hiring manager to assess your skills and past experience. If they are unable to find relevant information, chances are that your resume is more likely to be rejected.

A common reason for not hearing back after applying to dozens of job postings is a bad resume format. That’s it is important that you select the right format and follow our resume formatting suggestions provided below.

How to Format a Professional Resume?

To format your resume, follow these steps:

1. Select the right format from the most popular resume formats.
2. Avoid 0.5 inches or fewer margins. A 1-inch margin is preferable, it also allows the hiring manager to hold your resume without repositioning fingers.
3. Keep font size to 12 pt so that it is easy to read.
4. Add contact information clearly in the header section, a short summary below the resume header, a work history section with a bullet list, and certifications/skills/education in a section of their own.
5. Use fonts like Times New Roman, Roboto, etc that are more eligible. Avoid using fonts like Comic Sans. Evaluate your fonts on their readability at the end.
6. Check your country-specific best practices when it comes to adding a photo to your resume.
7. Unless you have 15+ years of experience, keep your resume to one page.
8. Avoid adding full address. Instead follow the format of city, and state.
9. Keep your interview relevant to the job that you are applying for by keeping it consistent.
10. While listing personal projects only add those in the order of complexity and/or scale.
11. Leave out sections that aren’t relevant to the job.
12. No paragraph (summary, project description, etc) should be more than two lines.
13. Avoid adding references unless your job ads ask for them.
14. Add keywords to make sure your resume is formatted well for ATS.

Resume Formatting ChecklistTo ensure your resume’s formatting is consistent, try the following:

1. Use a maximum of two different fonts. More than three fonts in the same resume would make it look unprofessional.
2. If you wish to add colors, make sure to use a maximum of two colors to differentiate sections and text. You can also mark certain text in bold, but make sure not to overdo it.
3. Keep your margins and padding consistent.
4. The minimum font size should be 11 pt.
5. Keeps dates in a consistent format.
6. List sections in the order of importance to the hiring manager.
7. If you have less than 15 years of experience, your resume should be one page. Else, more than two pages are acceptable.

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