The Importance of Formatting in a Resume

A resume is your passport to the dream job you have wanted for years. You need to make sure that the recruiter is able to recognize you as the best contender for the job. How can you ensure that? You can do that by ensuring that you:

(i) Customize your resume to the T for that particular job. Anyone who reads your resume should have no doubt in their mind that this resume has been written for their particular job and nothing else.

(ii) Get the recruiter to notice your best qualifications for the job. The recruiter should be able to see in a brief glance that you are a good match for the job. You can do this with the right formatting of your resume.

What Is the “Right Formatting”?

To understand what the “right formatting” is you need to understand the process of shortlisting. Whenever applications are invited for a job vacancy there are hundreds and hundreds of responses, which the recruiters need to sift through and select a few for interviewing.

Often the maximum time a recruiter gives a resume while shortlisting is 10-30 seconds. Your resume should be written in such a manner that the recruiter could while scanning it in maximum 30 seconds get all the information he needs to judge you as a good, if not best, match for the job. This is possible only when your resume is formatted right.

Format Your Resume For Best Impact

Thirty seconds may not sound like a lot of time, but in reality it is more than enough for an experienced recruiter to get all the information he needs. You could maximize your chances by using these resume revisions:

– Using The Right Font. The font should be easy on the eye; not too small, not too large and easy to read while scanning. Use Arial, Verdana, Times, or Georgia for best effect.

– Use The Terms Used To Describe The Job Listing. Describe your qualification, experience and skills using similar terms mentioned in the original job listing.

– Have Titles and Subtitles Describing Your Skills/ Qualifications/ Experience. Go for titles and subtitles to make it easy for the recruiter to find what he is looking for in a candidate.

– Highlight And Capitalize The Important Information. Things that are of paramount importance need to be highlighted so it would immediately catch the attention of the reader.

– Use Keywords Strategically. If you use the same keywords over and over, it becomes obvious that you are faking it. Use keywords artfully peppered throughout the resume (once in 75 words max) so it will catch the attention of both the recruiter and the search engines.