Resume woes: How to take the first step towards getting yourself that awesome job

What do most job-seekers stress about? Is it unemployment? Being broke? Dreary resumes? Yes, you guessed it! It’s the resume. A piece of paper that decides your future. In today’s world, there often comes a point when you question everything, right from your mental stability to your resume font. While I can only sympathise with you for your psychological state, your resume is something that I can definitely help with.

Here are some things that could help you in solving the mystery behind constructing the perfect resume.

To pay heed, make them read

Let’s start with the most basic issue. What would you expect while reading any material? The ability to read it, obviously! Readability is an incredibly important factor, irrespective of how your resume is being judged. No recruiter is going to sit and decipher the intricate puzzle that is your resume.

Print vs Digital. Why not both?

Being able to read the document is necessary. But so is the compatibility of the document with different mediums. Your resume shouldn’t look like a spectacular piece of art on paper and a monstrosity on a screen. Be careful to design the resume in such a way that it looks stellar on both mediums.

 Size matters

The heading shouldn’t scream in your face while you go through a resume. The body has to have an independent and balanced personality of its own. Enter the size. The size of the font really changes the whole look of the document. Thus, choose wisely.

Holy Fonts

Cambria– A serif font that’s legible and has very well made serifs. This default Microsoft font is easy to read and is always a safe bet. It is highly legible even at small sizes.

Georgia– Georgia’s style and design gives an up-scale aura to any document. Your resume is bound to stand out if you go with this font. It is comfortable to read and is considered an attractive alternative to other serif fonts.

Verdana – Known for being a legible font, Verdana is the bold and clear option for your resume. Its spacious design looks great even at small sizes and is suitable for printing as well as viewing on screen.

Lato–This particular sans serif font has gained the reputation of the corporate font. Perfect for any resume, this font gives you the modest and simplistic look required for any professional documentation.

Constantia- Designed primarily for continuous text, this font is legible even at a smaller size, with digital as well as print compatibility. It looks more friendly than other serif fonts available.

Simply, NO!

Century Gothic- Giving off a geometric look, Century Gothic fails to shine. This font is never to be used in the body, as it has a tedious persona.

Courier– Dull, unimaginative and plain, this font doesn’t fit the criteria of professional documentation and is to be avoided. It is meant to be used in the notepads of coders. If you are a programmer and want to give a fancy look to your resume, you can try this for sure.

Times New Roman– Considered to be the flip-flops of resume fonts. You don’t wear flip-flops when you are going for an interview, right? There’s a specific time and place for Times New Roman, and your resume is not it.

Arial– It has been tried and tested and thrown out. The time has come to say goodbye to this clichéd font. Some designers hate it so much that they have made Facebook and WhatsApp groups named “Anti-Arial.” Beware!

 If you don’t want the job, use the fonts given below

Comic sans- A ridiculously childish option, Comic Sans is a font that actually weakens the message you’re trying to deliver. Usually a big ‘no’ in the corporate world, unless and until you are making something for kids. But wait! We have better font options for kids as well.

Brush script– Do we even need to discuss this? Its absurd design is definitely not made for building a resume.

Papyrus– The official amateur font, Papyrus isn’t even a competitor when it comes to choosing resume fonts.

 Some life saving tips

• Try using superscripts - avoid writing 12th, nth etc.
• Avoid using widows, orphans, bubbles or rivers for alignment or justification of text.
• Keep a margin of atleast 1-1.5 inches for proper punching so that no important information is missed.
• Use bold and italics versions judiciously. Let only important Information catch the reader’s eye.

Mistakes of your life

Listen up, if you don’t want to be counted a complete idiot! Always share your resume in PDF format because (duh!) not everyone is going to have the same formatting option as you. All your efforts might go in vain if you fail to do this. Also, ensure that you never use two different serif fonts or two different sans serif fonts together. However, you can combine a serif and a sans serif font for better readability and display.

All things said and done, you are your own superstar! These are just my personal opinions. You can always burst the conventional bubble and break new ground by coming up with something completely unique and amazing to make your resume a topic of discussion.

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)