Optimal Resume Layout and Design
Let's talk about your resume. Do you think it's as strong as it could be? 👀
Well, maybe it's not that bad, lol, but for real, resumes are a big pain point for job seekers. 😩
I get lots of questions about resumes and how they should look.
There's also lots of resume advice out there on these innanets, and honestly, it's not one size fits all.
Let me give you a few clues about what to focus on to make your resume more compelling for jobs in tech, no matter the role you are targeting.
Before I do that, keep in mind the goal of what your resume (and LinkedIn) should accomplish for you:
Your resume (and LinkedIn) are marketing materials that need to convert to interviews. Full stop, that is the point of them.
A resume represents you when you are not in the room. It is the beginning of your career narrative and professional brand, so it needs to be compelling and clear.
When hiring teams look at your resume (and LinkedIn), they should think "This person has a strong, relevant profile. I want to interview them."
If you are NOT getting interviews it likely has to do with either your resume, LinkedIn, or your application strategy (hint: only applying online is not the most effective, but more on that in a future newsletter).
Ok so how do I make my resume better? Great question.
The 3 high-level components that make up a strong resume have to do with the layout, content, and phrasing. 👈🏽
Today I'm only going to talk about the resume layout in detail. In the next two newsletters I will cover tips on content and phrasing, so stay tuned and keep reading. :)
Resume Layout
The layout and design of your resume are essentially the order and way in which your content appears on the page. It also has to do with the scannability of your resume.
Perhaps you know people scan resumes for 6-10 seconds to determine if it's worth reading the details. If you didn't know that, now you know, and you must keep it in mind when designing your resume.
My top tips for good resume layout and design: 👇🏾
Limit your resume to one page - Your resume is a highlight reel, a trailer of your career so to speak, not the whole story of everything you've ever done in your career. Keeping it to a single page makes it easy for hiring teams to quickly scan and review your achievements. You can get it down to a single page with ruthless editing. Only if you have 20+ years of experience are 2 pages ok. :)
Keep fancy design elements off the resume - You might be tempted to make your resume look "pretty" to stand out. However, uncommon fonts, creative symbols, and personal logos, etc are all a distraction. Keep your resume simple and free of too many design elements. Make sure the design does not overshadow the content. You want to keep hiring managers focused on what matters, which is your accomplishments.
Make sure your resume is scannable - If you can't tell, the scanning thing is a theme here. Find a balance of filling out the whole page but not cramming on too much so it's hard to read. Ask yourself - Is it easy to see the major sections of your resume? Is the font big enough to read & scan (e.g., 11-12pt)? Are margins wide enough? Sometimes people choose a tiny font to squish everything onto one page, but remember people need to be able to actually read the content!
^me trying to read the tiny font on your resume
You may be wondering if there are templates or tools I suggest using to design your resume.
My favorite tool is Canva and they have several good templates. I suggest sticking to one that has a minimalist design.
Here is a screenshot of a sample resume layout that I have used a lot and has worked well for my clients. Feel free to copy this layout/design.
TL;DR: When in doubt, keep your resume to a single page, design the layout such that it has clear headers, looks simple, not crammed, and is easy to scan. Don't go smaller than 11pt font if possible and find the balance of scannability and filling out the whole page. 😎
