Professional Resume Style - Headers, Fonts, and Themes

Professional Resume Style - Headers, Fonts, and ThemesProfessional Resume Style - Headers, Fonts, and ThemesYou can know exactly what your resume needs to say, and thats great.But you might have some trouble when it comes to how all this information should be presented.Or maybe you have an idea of how it should look but you arent confident youre on the right track.Below is a breakdown of some basic things to consider when deciding whether or elend your resume style is professional.Between your headers, fonts, and the overall themes, it is important to remember to present yourself professionally, while keeping in mind the 6-second rule.What is the 6-second rule you may ask?In a nutshell, the 6-second rulestates that the average hiring manager spends 6-seconds viewing each resume before moving on.6 whole seconds.Thats leid a lot of time.So what can you do?Well, thats where the presentation of a resume comes into play.A professional resume style will help the employer find what they are looking for quicker, making every second count.Resume headersThe headers/headings are the titles of different sections in your resume and are key to keeping everything nice and organized.This makes it all the mora important that the resume headers stand out and are consistent.Your headers should be formatted with the same characteristics throughout your resume.For example, its important to take into account the followingfont sizeunderliningbolditalicsother formattingWe suggest 16-18 size font and consider the use of bold and italic.Using a larger font with different formatting will help your headings stand out.You should make it quick and easy for the reader to find what they want.Professional fontsContrary to popular belief, the font should not play a significant role in the overall resume style.There is no need to get fancy with a font.This does not express your individuality as some may believe.(And if it does, it might not be for the best)If you get too fancy with your font, th e employer may have trouble reading your resumeWe suggest you stick to the basicsTimes New RomanCalibriArialThe headers have a little mora wiggle room, but it is not necessary to vary from the voreingestellt accepted fonts.The more common your font is, the more familiar the reader will be with it, making the resume easier to read.This will help give your resume a nice clean, professional look.Design themesMany professionals recommend keeping your resume black and white.This can be a really gray area that seems to be moving towards adding a little bit of color.First, this really depends on where you are applyingand for what font of role.Most new, techy, startup-y companies in large cities would be totally fine with a bit of color.However, a 100-year-old professional investment firm might appreciate a plain black and white resume.Deciding on whether to add some color or not can mean taking the companys personality and culture into account.Now, adding a little color doesnt mean that th e entire body of your resume should be bright pink.What it does mean is you can slightly adjust headers, contact info, and your name with conservative colors such as red or blue.A bit of color can also add to the organization and scannability of your resume.Make your resume scannablePart of having a great resume style is making sure that your resume is scannable.You can be the most qualified candidate and perfect for the job, but if you do not know how to express this on paper, you will most likely not receive a callback.Make sure you utilize bullet points to better outline your skills.As you know, you have 6-seconds, so make sure to be short and sweet.Only mention the good stuff.For more tips on resume writing, check out What To Include In A Resume - 16 Best Things.The truth is, the more you practice, the better you get.ObviouslyIf you are applying for a ton of jobs but you dont see results in your current job search, it may be time to accept that your resume could use some work.I cannot tell you how many resumes we have seen that need a makeover.Evensome paid-for resumescould use a world of improvement.Need more help?Sometimes you canhave a ton of great skills, but you need help expressing them.Well, youre in luck.Find My Profession offers expert resume makeover services that are aimed at helping you land your dream job.Best of luckProfessional Resume Style - Headers, Fonts, and ThemesYou can know exactly what your resume needs to say, and thats great.But you might have some trouble when it comes to how all this information should be presented.Or maybe you have an idea of how it should look but you arent confident youre on the right track.Below is a breakdown of some basic things to consider when deciding whether or not your resume style is professional.Between your headers, fonts, and the overall themes, it is important to remember to present yourself professionally, while keeping in mind the 6-second rule.What is the 6-second rule you may ask?In a nutshell , the 6-second rulestates that the average hiring manager spends 6-seconds viewing each resume before moving on.6 whole seconds.Thats not a lot of time.So what can you do?Well, thats where the presentation of a resume comes into play.A professional resume style will help the employer find what they are looking for quicker, making every second count.Resume headersThe headers/headings are the titles of different sections in your resume and are key to keeping everything nice and organized.This makes it all the more important that the resume headers stand out and are consistent.Your headers should be formatted with the same characteristics throughout your resume.For example, its important to take into account the followingfont sizeunderliningbolditalicsother formattingWe suggest 16-18 size font and consider the use of bold and italic.Using a larger font with different formatting will help your headings stand out.You should make it quick and easy for the reader to find what they want.Pro fessional fontsContrary to popular belief, the font should not play a significant role in the overall resume style.There is no need to get fancy with a font.This does not express your individuality as some may believe.(And if it does, it might not be for the best)If you get too fancy with your font, the employer may have trouble reading your resumeWe suggest you stick to the basicsTimes New RomanCalibriArialThe headers have a little more wiggle room, but it is not necessary to vary from the standard accepted fonts.The more common your font is, the more familiar the reader will be with it, making the resume easier to read.This will help give your resume a nice clean, professional look.Design themesMany professionals recommend keeping your resume black and white.This can be a really gray area that seems to be moving towards adding a little bit of color.First, this really depends on where you are applyingand for what type of role.Most new, techy, startup-y companies in large cities wou ld be totally fine with a bit of color.However, a 100-year-old professional investment firm might appreciate a plain black and white resume.Deciding on whether to add some color or not can mean taking the companys personality and culture into account.Now, adding a little color doesnt mean that the entire body of your resume should be bright pink.What it does mean is you can slightly adjust headers, contact info, and your name with conservative colors such as red or blue.A bit of color can also add to the organization and scannability of your resume.Make your resume scannablePart of having a great resume style is making sure that your resume is scannable.You can be the most qualified candidate and perfect for the job, but if you do not know how to express this on paper, you will most likely not receive a callback.Make sure you utilize bullet points to better outline your skills.As you know, you have 6-seconds, so make sure to be short and sweet.Only mention the good stuff.For more ti ps on resume writing, check out What To Include In A Resume - 16 Best Things.The truth is, the more you practice, the better you get.ObviouslyIf you are applying for a ton of jobs but you dont see results in your current job search, it may be time to accept that your resume could use some work.I cannot tell you how many resumes we have seen that need a makeover.Evensome paid-for resumescould use a world of improvement.Need more help?Sometimes you canhave a ton of great skills, but you need help expressing them.Well, youre in luck.Find My Profession offers expert resume makeover services that are aimed at helping you land your dream job.Best of luck