Writing your resume - Simplicity is the Key

Simplicity is key when trying to draw a recruiter’s eye to your resume. To improve your chances of getting noticed—go for a minimalist design and keep everything well organized. Focus on making your resume clean, legible, and minimalist. Two pages max, three pages if you include a cover letter. At least eleven-point font, half-inch margins, white paper, black ink. Consistent spacing between lines, with all paragraphs and columns aligned. Formatting can get garbled when moving across platforms. Always save your resume in either PDF or Docx, both of which are compatible with applicant tracking software. (Your resume should never, ever be saved as a JPEG or PNG)

Recruiters are moving quickly, so make it easy for them to see the match between your resume and the job they’re seeking to fill.

Here’s the skinny:

Introduce yourself in a short Professional Summary at the top under your contact information. This is a short paragraph that summarizes what you have to offer and positions you as an asset to the company. This would include your years of experience in your area of expertise, in an industry or industries.

Position your relevant experience next in a Highlight of Qualifications section, using bullet points. Bullet points should be concise yet clearly communicate your skill level, and the fewer points you can use to do this the better. Use as many qualifiers as possible, numbers, percentages, amounts etc. Enhance your resume by pointing to skills that show off your value. For example, if you’re a software developer, add a link to your GitHub. If you’re a writer, share clips of your recent work. In this way, your resume can operate as a signpost to your other accomplishments. Think of these extra additions as ‘proof of skill’ and this evidence of career accomplishments can be indicated on your CV through a shortened link.

Your Employment History follows next with bullets describing what you did and how you added value to your job and the company. Begin your work history with the most recent job first. Describe your job responsibilities with an emphasis on your hard skills, measurable results, and other accomplishments.

Then your Education section. Include the Institution name and the degree/diploma earned. You will add any industry certifications in this section. You can also add significant academic achievements too.

If you have Volunteer or Community Involvement activities, add that next. Even if your volunteer work is not relevant to the job position you can include it as it can show your dedication to your community or give an idea of what is important to you outside of work.

Check out the Writing Resumes category in our Virtual Resource Room at Calgary Career Hub. It’s your one stop for all up to date, relevant and interesting tips for job searching.