As a final word on resume formatting, we will address a few decisions that you’ll have to make regarding the layout of your resume on the whole, including the word processor you use, the length of your resume, margin size, line spacing and font. These are all factors in your resume’s level of professionalism, and even though they may seem like finishing touches, they are important to decide upon prior to finalizing your content. Anyone who has gotten all of their content to fit perfectly into their resume and then tried to change the font knows what I’m talking about.

Word Processor

It’s always a good idea to write your resume in Microsoft Word. The “.doc” is a standard file type that you can expect every hiring manager to be able to open, but the same cannot be said for some of the alternatives. Be careful, however, in using Microsoft Word 2007 for two reasons. First, Word 2007 saves documents by default under the non-backwards compatible “.docx” file-type, and many major companies will not have upgraded to this new version of Office by the time it come to submit your resume in the coming months. Make sure to designate your resume as a “.doc” in the “save as” menu if using Word 2007.

This version can also be dangerous because some of the fonts, including the default, “Calibri” are slightly different than they were in 2003, and as I learned the hard way, even if you save it as “.doc,” you’re resume will look completely different when opened in Word 2003 and might even spill over onto a second page. I ended up changing everything to the classic Times New Roman font. As a final note, I will repeat the widely-accepted advice you can find all over the internet: Do not use any of the Microsoft Word resume templates! Employers can recognize them at once and it suggests a lack of competence.

Length

As we have alluded to many times throughout this article and others, as an entry-level candidate, your resume should always fit onto a page. Employers assume you haven’t been in the field long enough to provide enough relevant information to exceed a page, so even if you think you have, keep it within this constraint to avoid an excessive, diluted appearance.

Margins

There are really two options you have with margins: 1 inch or 1.5 inches. Just like when writing paper for school, these are the two standards, so they’re the two that won’t draw any attention. Especially do not adjust your margins to a size above or below these bounds in an effort to save or consume space on a resume that is either too long or too short, because it’s a sacrifice of professionalism. The best way to change the length is to be more or less selective about your content or change the amount that you elaborate on various items, but if you must do it with formatting, play with the spacing between sections.

Line Spacing

Always use single-spaced lines for your content. As much as double spacing has become standard in academics, single spacing has always been the professional standard. As for the spacing between sections and subsections, these can obviously vary because no resume that is just a solid block of text is going to look inviting to read.

Font

For most of us, the resume is meant to have a very utilitarian feel to it, so the common fonts like, Times, Times New Roman, and Arial are the best options. For a field where a resume takes on a secondary purpose of artistic expression, like in advertising or graphic design, a more unique font can obviously be the right choice. As far as size, keep your regular content from 10 to 12 pt. font.

Well, there it is. Between our most recent three articles and the sample resume and template we have provided, resume formatting should be a worry of the past. Now, we move on to content: What types of things the entry-level candidate should write about in his/her resume, and how to do so effectively.

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