4 Simple Resume Formatting Tips

As you are probably aware formatting resumes can be a tricky business.  Most recruiters take your resume and put it on their letterhead before they send it over to their clients.  It should be easy right.  ctrl-A to select the resume, ctrl-C to copy and ctrl-V to paste.  Voila!!!.  Oops, there are spaces all over the resume, in the middle of the lines, large white spaces in the middle of paragraphs.  There is no justification, some lines start at the margin and some are spaced over.  Maybe the client wants to print it.  Again big "Oops" if you haven't used proper formatting.  Just because it printed OK on your computer at home, doesn't mean it will when it is opened and printed at your recruiter/clients office.  Depending on the size of your resume, reformatting it could take up to an hour of time.  An hour that could be the difference between you getting the job or not.  So try these simple formatting tips to help keep your resume looking good.

Enter/Return Key

• This key should only be used at the end of a paragraph.  NOT when your sentence gets to the end of the line.  It is amazing how many people force a new line to appear by using the enter/return key.  MS Office magically knows when you are approaching the right hand margin and will automatically move down to the next line for you.  Try it, just keep typing and amazing a new line will appear.  By the way the enter/return key is normally located on the right hand side of the keyboard, above the "shift" key.  

Tab Key

• The enter/return key helps format your right hand margin.  The tab key helps justify your left hand margin.  The tab key is located on the left hand side of your keyboard, usually just above the "caps loc" key.  Use it for new paragraphs.  Tab in the first line, if the second line doesn't automatically tab in, then take your cursor move it to the second line and hit the tab key again. From then on your whole paragraph will be tabbed in.  It will be stopped as soon as you hit the enter/return key.  So keep in mind they work in tandem with each other.

Bullets

• The Bullet Key is located on the top toolbar.  If you are doing a list use this key, it will automatically put in the bullet and set the margins so that all your points will line up the same.  It can be a little trickier than the other keys so practice.  Simple bullets are not hard to master.

Space Bar.

• Don't put in multiple spaces to line up your document/resume.  The space bar is used to tell MS Office what is happening.  It separates words, it appears after a comma, not before the comma.  When you put two spaces after a period it tells word that the sentence has ended and word will automatically capitalize the next word.  

Try these simple formatting tips.  Not only will it save you time, your resume will look more professional and be much easier to read.  If you still can't figure it out, then use a professional.  It is a worthwhile investment to have it done properly.

Things not needed on your Resume

Sending off a resume with all of our new technology has good and bad side effects.  It is great for us, see a job, apply for a job.  No stamps, no envelopes, no paper, no expense.  Click and your resume can be sent to an amazing number of companies.

For companies, this can create a mountain of emails for the hiring managers and recruiters.  So keep in mind that Hiring Managers don't have time to read a 20 page resume.  So let's look at some simple things that can help keep your resume to 3 pages.

Get rid of:

• Objective - totally obsolete nowadays.  Your objective is to get a job.  As soon as you send someone your resume they know what your objective is.
• References available - again totally superfluous.  If they are going to offer you the job you better have 3 good references
• Logos, Pictures - they take up way too much space on the resume and can also make your resume slow to open and cause it not to line up properly.
• Personal Info - like age, marital status, number of children
• Interests/Hobbies - these are things that can be brought up in the interview to break the ice.  But always be careful when mentioning your interests or hobbies.  Applying for a job at an investment company and telling them that you spend every Saturday at the race track or the casino might not give the positive impression you want.
• Unnecessary Bullets 
• Ability to multi-task
• Work independently
• Able to work in a team
• Good time management skills
• Extra Lines/Words - "Title:  Programmer/Analyst", "Company:  Royal Bank of Canada"  take out the words Title and Company, they are not needed
• Company Information - If the company is IBM then there is no need for a description, but if it is a small company that no one has heard of then put a small description in, but keep it small.  One or two lines, you don't need a whole paragraph
• Quotes - I definitely don't need to know what Socrates or Gandhi think about your love of working is.  So leave them off.

I was working on a resume the other day and the candidate had an 18 page resume.  The first job he worked at was only for 9 months and he had 2 pages of bullets.  blah blah.  Streamline your achievements to items that are pertinent to the job you are applying for.  At the interview we can discuss more detail.

Hope this helps and 

Good luck Job Hunting  O:)

A New Year, A New Job, A New Career, Where to Start

2013, a new year.  Maybe you are still looking for a job or you feel like a change.  Whatever the reason, new years, new seasons tend to encourage us to start looking at lifestyle and goal changes.  As in everything I do in life, I make a list.  Whether it's in a little notebook or on your iPad, start jotting down things that can help you in your job hunting or career change.

1. Update your resume.  Always have your resume ready to go.  You never know when or where you will hear about the perfect job that you have been looking for.  It could be at the coffee shop, lunch with friends, on the internet (job boards, twitter, facebook, LinkedIn).  Have a good look at the format:
• is the font easy to read (arial, tahoma), minimum 10 pt, black (for most professions:  IT, Finance) 
• keep the format simple:  profile, education, experience
• take out the superflous information:  hobbies, references, pictures, age, etc
• get rid of any fancy boxes, they don't copy over properly and things can be missed
• use tabs and returns, not spaces for formatting.  If you aren't sure how go on to google and take a quick lesson, basic formatting is really quite easy and will save you a ton of time in the long term
• make sure your contact information is up to date and shown on every page
• save as a word document
2. Update your on-line profiles.  Set up new on-line accounts.  Don't have a twitter account, then get one.  Network with your contacts.  Send out a quick "Have a great 2013, btw I am looking to change my career" or "Thinking of changing my career to ... any advice on courses or places to apply".
3. Look at the jobs you have been applying for and be truthful with yourself.  Do you need another certificate or upgrading of your skills, then maybe now is the time to do it.  
4. Check out the job boards and the business section of newspapers, etc to find out what is happening out there.  What's HOT, what's NOT.
5. Volunteering is a great way to meet people and show off your skills.  There isn't a lot of competition in volunteer groups, they are made up of people who want to help other people.  So let them know that you are looking for a job or planning on changing your career.  And to top it off volunteering is good for your self esteem and makes you feel great.

A new year, a new job, a promotion.  Be ready when opportunity knocks.

Happy New Year everyone.

and

Good Luck in your Job Hunting