How to Format a Resume

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(Board, C-Level, VP, Director & Mid-Career Professionals)

How to make your resume stand out while maintaining your brand?

Are you trying to stand out from the crowd with your resume? Using Curlz MT font coupled with boldface on a hot pink background will certainly make your application stand out among others; in a bad way. So in addition to ensuring that your resume is relevant and targeted to your desired position, make it eye-pleasing, or, at the very least, readable. As a professional resume writing service, we recommend finding a balance between catching the readers attention and presenting a professional brand,

Professional Resume Writers “Rule of Two” for easy to read resume formatting

Our certified professional resume writers suggest using this rule to maintain formatting that is pleasant to the eye. Unlike in flower arranging were odd numbers rule, in resume writing, we use “two” as the magic number. Unless you are a professional graphic designer, go by the “Rule of Two or less”:

  • No more than 2 fonts.– Defaults like Times New Roman, Arial, and Calibri are a safe bet, while Georgia and Cambria are great for headers. And don’t go lower than 10 pt in font size. Use the same font for all headlines or other sections that are repeated throughout the resume.
  • No more than 2 colors.– Aside from black or dark grey for the text, you may safely use light blue, grass green, or some other neutral color to embellish section headers. Take care not to pick hues that are too bright, as these are distracting. Now of course there are some exceptions, our executive resume writers can brand a client with a more dynamic presentation but it must be created using a professional designer. Here is a couple of resume examples created by our award-winning resume team. Chief Financial Officer Resume Example, VP of IT Resume Example, and Chief Technology Officer Resume Example.
  • No more than 2 types of bullets.– And only one of them should be fancy (i.e. a checkbox or an arrow). There are a lot of new options available so take some time to really match every element in the resume to your brand. This may seem like a minor detail but you only have one chance to make a first impression. Having a perfect resume might be the one thing that pushes you to the head of the line over the hundreds of other candidates.
  • Boldfacing, italicizing, underlining, and using small caps in a phrase all at once is overdoing it. Combining any two of the above-mentioned formatting tools is okay. We use boldfacing to drive the eye to the results of your achievements. Each of these formattings is used for specific reasons. We know that using all caps and boldfacing while texting is like screaming at your audience, so be careful to use them correctly. We emphasis certain words that we want the reader to remember. Even punctuation is a powerful tool to guide the reader!

And here are a couple of other helpful tips on resume formatting:

  • Regardless of how much (or how little) formatting you decide to apply, make sure you leave enough white space. Again it is about making your resume easy to read while guiding the reader to important sections.
  • Avoid lengthy paragraphs. Opt for bulleted lists and clearly defined sections instead. As stated before, this allows the reader to quickly scan your resume for information. Most recruiters only spend a few seconds to review your resume and will not read the entire document, unless they are very interested.
  • Make sure your formatting is consistent. That means the same design of headers, same font, and size for the main text, same intervals between sections, and so on. A messy resume represents an unreliable candidate. If you cannot take the time to have a perfect resume, then will you take the time to do my job successfully?

A well-formatted resume can help you get an interview!

So just like a spelling mistake on your resume can harm your chances of getting that dream job so will a poorly formatted resume. Take the time to make your resume perfect. If you are struggling reach out to a professional to assist you. Hiring a professional resume writing service can be the best money you spend on your career! For a free resume consultation, contact iCareerSolutions award-winning resume service use this booking link.

Here are some of our Top Resume Testimonials

Glen
Working with Arno and his team has significantly changed the trajectory of my career and life. Financially speaking, I have seen a 500x+ return on my investment. Learning about what recruiters and companies look for and optimizing my resume to give me a leg up on my competition has provided me with several opportunities over the past few years. His methodology and process is insightful and very ef…
Glenn BrodskyAVP, Talent Development
Mo Daeisadeghi
Arno and his team helped me update my resume. The team was very professional , responsive and helpful. I strongly recommend Arno.
Mo DaeisadeghiGeneral Manager
Collin Dinsmoor
I was years out of job search environment. I had what I considered a decent resume put together but got feedback from a HR person that it wasn’t effective. Arno reached out to me by coincidence and helped me redo my resume. He did a great job and made it searchable and formatted it to current standards. I am now being found regularly and have netted several interviews. I am very pleased with the r…
Collin DinsmoorLead Engineer
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I was in need of an updated resume to begin my job hunting. Arno and his company were there for me and gave multiple options and advice to help me to upgrade and better my resume. Arno and his associates were there for me every step. They gave me many chances until we finalized the product. Since the final product has been out there on LinkedIn, I have had many recruiters respond. Arno and his tea…
Bob IngersollSr. Principal Systems Engineer
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Wow, this is excellent.  Please see my very minor updates.  Thank you!!!
Kirk Schamel
Leigh-Ann Clarke
I was thrilled with the service that I received from Arno Markus of ResumeBuilds. He made sure everything I have done was accurately and properly represented while giving me great advice on my job search. If you are in need of an expertly written resume – I would contact Arno/ResumeBuilds today!
Leigh-Ann ClarkVice President
AI King
Arno is an accomplished career strategist with many years of experience. He coach, advises and mentors professionals and helps you build a personal brand. I highly recommend you consult with Arno if you need career advice or personal branding.
Al KingSenior Associate
Avery Weisfeld
Arno was a great asset to me and helped guide me in understanding how to achieve specific opportunities that were available to me. He coached me on the proper ways to set up a resume and what really stands out in industry. With the help from Arno and perseverance, I was able to land a job in no time and it was fascinating to learn how to get ahead with his techniques. Arno was an invaluable resour…
Avery WeisfeldSenior Solution Engineer
Regina Wong Valle
I met Arno through my husband when I was trying to update my resume. He was extremely helpful and gave real insight in today’s industry standards. He was direct – which I appreciated – and provided guidance with what needs to happen and what I need to do. I am please with my interaction with him. Since working with him and his team, I’ve managed to get multiple offers and have achieved my end goal…
Regina Wong-ValleKnowledgeable Compliance Professional
Manuel Garcia 1
This service is great! I found three jobs because of the resume that they wrote for me. Amazing
Manuel GarciaMarketing Director

About iCareerSolutions

iCareerSolutions, America’s #1 Reverse Recruitment, Executive and Professional Resume Writing Services, and LinkedIn Profile Development Company. 20X award-winning resume writers deliver professional resumes that get interviews. We have successfully landed our executive clients senior-level leadership positions at companies like Apple, Amazon, EA, Oracle, GM, Google, Facebook, DoJ, Gap, and 2U just to name a few. iCareerSolutions has 200+ 5-star reviews and offers a 60-day interview guarantee. Every resume template created is Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) compatible and highly customized to meet your unique needs.

Active Members of The National Resume Writers’ Association (NRWA) │ The Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches (PARW&CC) │ Career Directors International (CDI) │ Career Professionals (CPC) │ Forbes Coaches Council

One of the Top Multi-Award-Winning Resume Writing Services in the country.

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“Arno was extremely helpful in working with me on a new resume and Linked In profile. He brings a very thoughtful approach to working with you and will ask the right questions to get you a great finished product. Thanks Arno!.”

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