resume design tips

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15 Winning Resume Design Tips Plus Customizable Templates

Job hunting.

It’s a full-time job, and standing out in a sea of identical-looking resumes requires a bit of effort.

You might have a lot of relevant experience, but if your resume is not eye-catching – you run the risk of getting passed up. You need to find a way to stand out.

And if you’re applying for that dream job without fulfilling all the required qualifications, there might be a different way to leverage what you’ve got .

How? A well-designed resume.

This guide to resume design highlights expert tips from hiring managers, recruiters, and HR professionals.

Whether you’re applying for your first job or planning a career change, keep reading for resume design ideas and professional resume templates that you can edit and download in minutes. 

To follow along and get access to free resume templates,  create a free Piktochart account  to make your first (or second!) creative infographic resume .

Table of contents

Why you need to be thoughtful about your resume design

• Tip #1: Make your job skills as modern as you are
• Tip #2: Make sure your CV is mobile-friendly
• Tip #3: Consider your target industry when choosing color schemes
• Tip #4: Use your resume to tell a story
• Tip #5: Give a (design) nod to your line of work
• Tip #6: Use your resume as a personal branding document
• Tip #7: Use design that’s right on top of the trends
• Tip #8: Choose the right font for your resume
• Tip #9: Emphasize your contact information section visually
• Tip #10: Make your content as skimmable as possible
• Tip #11: Make your resume printable
• Tip #12: Use fun design elements in moderation
• Tip #13: Consider your layout
• Tip #14: Think about hierarchy
• Tip #15: Mind your structure
• 10 professional resume templates you can download

You’re probably wondering why the fuss about the look of your resume.

Why care about resume layout and content when you’re highly qualified for the job?

The truth is that recruiters and hiring managers won’t know about your extensive work experience, impressive portfolio, or educational background unless you find a way to stand out from the rest of jobseekers.

You need a visually interesting resume that will get the recruiting team’s attention and prompt them to review it.

Not convinced?

C heck out the recruitment yield pyramid from Workable below. It visualizes the standard recruitment process that most companies have.

Out of 240 applications, only 15 candidates were selected for a first interview, so that’s around 6 percent. An infographic resume can help increase your chance to be a part of the 6 percent!

The good news is you don’t have to be a professional designer to make your resume pop and get noticed by potential employers.

Let’s get started with the expert tips for resume design below. Each tip is also loaded with resume design ideas and examples to inspire you.

1. Make your job skills as modern as you are

Beyond the usual marketing, design, and coding skills, your employer also wants to know if you’ll be a cultural fit and a team player – and these depend a lot on your soft skills.

We might even call these 21st century job skills , a combination of social and process skills, and it is important to include them alongside your technical abilities. Here are a handful that might be a good fit:

2. Make sure your CV is mobile-friendly

While it’s worth pointing out that most headhunters out there are tapping away on LinkedIn via their laptops, you should consider that your CV and cover letter might be opened on a smartphone. And that’s where a mobile-responsive document really comes into play. Here are four things to keep in mind when creating a mobile-friendly CV :

• Use typography that would be easy to view on any device.
• Test to ensure that text is readable. Never go over 2-3 lines of text.
• Include your professional title, career highlights, career summary , and qualifications at the top of your CV.
• Add hyperlinks to your portfolio or social links.

3. Consider your target industry when choosing color schemes

Of course, you won’t always be trying to create a mobile-friendly resume, especially when you’d like to get a bit creative. Color schemes are a great way to create a certain kind of mood in your resume, which could attract the attention of the right HR manager. One way to do this is to match your resume’s color scheme to the industry that you’re looking to be a part of. For instance, if you are applying for a role in more conservative industries such as banking or law, you might want to go with black or darker tones to show you mean business. If you’re applying to a creative agency or a tech startup, you’ll have a lot more flexibility in terms of the color schemes you can use. Don’t be afraid to go bright to attract eyeballs.

With Piktochart Visual , you can either select from our available color schemes or make your own. Try Piktochart for free .

4. Use your resume to tell a story

To really capture the attention of the hiring manager’s eye, you’ll benefit from telling a story with your resume.

Believe it or not, you’ll actually be able to use storytelling tactics that are old as time to do this.

Here are a handful of resume storytelling tips that apply very well to resume writing:

• Include characters – You are the star of the show, but remember to include your boss, customers, employees, and co-workers. Create emphasis on how your role operated in relation to them. Who did you report to? How many people did you manage?
• Don’t forget the setting – Could be the company you’ve worked for but also the division, department, region, or team. This gives context, but can also show things such as international experience.
• Make sure your resume has a plot – Perhaps all the odds were against you but you solved the problem and achieved success (dragon slaying). Or you worked with others to achieve a major goal while overcoming challenges along the way (the hero’s quest).
• Don’t skimp on the conflict –  Giving context to the conflict you’ve faced in your career shows growth and initiative. Did you redesign an inefficient process or reverse declining sales? Make sure you talk about it!

Immanuel, our former content specialist told a wonderful story in his beautiful resume by creating an interactive application that was sleek, fun, and well-designed.

5. Give a (design) nod to your line of work

Consider your resume as an extension of yourself and the work that you do.

So why not use design elements that will give a nod to your profession? For example, if you work in the publishing industry, you can try to give your resume a “bookish” vibe which can be accomplished by:

• Structuring your resume layout to look like a book page
• Using classic typography such as Caslon

6. Use your resume as a personal branding document

A personal brand is a way of marketing yourself through a number of avenues – which is usually done by crafting a cohesive persona through social media accounts and a website.

The idea here is to create an online identity that helps you put your best foot forward, especially when it comes to landing professional opportunities. So why can’t your resume also be a part of your personal branding strategy?

Here are a handful of tips that you can use to build a personal brand through your resume.

• Create a personal logo for yourself using a symbol or even just your initials . See Aaron Johnson ’s personal branding logo in the image below.

• Consistency is key . Make sure that you set rules for the layout of your resume, whether it’s in font choice, text sizing, and alignment.
• Choose a color scheme that reflects your personal brand.    

For example, Matteo in the example below, is using bright colors such as yellow and orange as a part of his personal brand as an illustrator and designer.

7. Use design that’s right on top of the trends

If you are applying for jobs in creative industries, you will be competing with a sea of candidates that will be thinking out of the box when it comes to their application.

In order to stay ahead of the pack, you should consider designing your resume in a way that is spot on with graphic design trends to avoid looking outdated.

For instance, flat design is currently right on-trend with website and apps. Using this type of design in your resume, like in the example below, will communicate to hiring managers that you are on top of your design game.

8. Choose the right font for your resume

While you want to make sure your resume is legible, you also want to stand out while everyone else is playing safe with the likes of Arial or Times New Roman.

The right font can help you stand out, and also keep eyeballs from bouncing away from your resume. So what should you keep in mind when selecting a font?

• Keep your font sizes between 11 and 13 points. You want a happy balance between being able to fit enough items into your resume, while it still being legible.
• Keep font sizes consistent – headers should be all the same size for example.
• Serif fonts work well for digital fields or roles that involve creative work, while sans serif fonts are a better fit for more conservative industries. This is because serif fonts generally have an extra design and stroke embellishment at the end of letters, while serif fonts keep it simple.

9. Emphasize your contact information section visually

Recruiters apparently spend just seven measley seconds reviewing your resume.

To make sure that your resume gets picked out of the crowd, and keeping those seven seconds in mind, why not place a lot of visual emphasis on your contact information section?

Here are a number of things you can do to make your contact info section stand out:

• Use icons (we have lots of them in Piktochart!) to add live links to your personal website, social media, email address, and portfolio.
• Use white space to draw the recruiter’s eye into your contact information.
• Use color – you can change the color of the text itself, or create a new background color just for your contact info section.

In the example below, Paolo Pettigiani uses a pop of color and white space for his contact info page.

10. Make your content as skimmable as possible

Make your content as easy as possible to skim through so that readers should be able to pick up your strengths and essential information as quickly as possible.

Here are a few ways to make your resume skimmable:

• Use columns to organize your resume that is bursting at the seams with info. You can also experiment with using columns that are different sizes.
• Format your content by using headings, subheadings, bullet points, and white space.
• Try using an infographic and help those text-weary recruiters by using visuals instead .

Martin Suster ’s infographic resume below is a good example.

11. Make your resume printable

Despite dressing up your resume with a handful of design elements, visuals, and colors, it would be a good idea to make your resume printable.

A printable resume is important for those interviewers that like to avoid using their laptop during the interview.

It also makes your resume as user-centered as possible , and making it printable is one way to focus on the user experience of your resume.

Here are a few things you should do for a print-friendly resume:

• Make sure that your resume can be printed in black and white.
• Use a font that is legible; 11 to 13 points will work.
• Minimize the number of pages of your resume – 1 to 2 pages is fine, but 15 is not.
• Having a personal branded logo on your resume is a nice touch, but make sure your name is still on it.
• Save your printable resume in PDF.

It is still possible to make your resume visually appealing while making it also printable , like in the example below .

12. Use fun design elements in moderation

While design elements such as flat icons, images, and bright colors could help your resume stand out from the pack, using too many can cause a visual overload for the viewer and could actually distract from the actual purpose of the resume. To avoid using an overwhelming amount of design elements, here are a handful of tips to be mindful of:

• Use only a small handful of colors, as too many can be distracting .
• Work with the basic shapes that can be found within your word processor.
• Consider using graphic lines to add personality.

The example below uses just one color and graphic lines to create a neat and organized resume.

13. Consider your layout

Layout is an important factor when putting your resume together.

Whether you’re after a role at a creative agency or a bank, keeping your resume organized and tidy should be your number one priority. Here are a handful of things to consider when it comes to your resume layout:

• Think about alignment when filling in your job duties. All your headers and bullet points should line up, otherwise it creates a very confusing visual experience.
• Try using text boxes, which you’ll be able to easily drag and drop around your resume page – making layout creation a lot easier.
• Keep your audience in mind while thinking outside of the box if possible. While traditional roles will expect a fairly standard resume, jobs in creative fields will allow you to roll up your sleeves a bit more.

The landscape layout of the resume below makes it different from the others, helping it stand out in a sea of poorly designed resumes with portrait layouts.

14. Think about hierarchy

Another element to consider when putting together your resume is hierarchy.

The general rule here is that the most important information in your resume should go towards the top, with the more non-essential information in the bottom. When it comes to hierarchy of your resume design, here are a few things to take note of:

• Create a profile at the top of the resume, under your contact information, which summarizes your job history, skills (technical/soft), and where your expertise lies. Don’t forget to include an eye-catching header.
• If you have a lot of work experience, create two sections for your list of past and current jobs and projects. Label one “relevant experience” which pertains to the new job you’re applying for, and one that is “work experience” which will house the remainder of your roles.
• Also worth considering is where you place your “education” section. If you are a fresh grad (bachelors, masters, or PhD. even), you definitely want to put your education near the top of your resume. If your work experience carries more weight, then you can keep your education near the end.    

The resume below is an example of a clear and succinct CV, along with a well-thought-out data visualization of the resume’s skills section.

15. Mind your structure

If you think of your resume as something to be built, then you’ll understand the important of structure.

A great way to approach structuring your resume is by using a “grid structure,” which introduces columns, rows, visual dividers, and white space.

A grid keeps all the data that you’re presenting organized and makes skimming a lot easier. The example below shows a resume organized with a grid structure.

Level up your resume design with these 10 customizable resume templates

Now that you’re an up-and-coming expert in resume design and writing, it’s time to apply this new knowledge to your CV and make your best resume ever.

Our designers have created a batch of professional resume templates to help you put your best foot forward when it comes to applying for your next job.

Whether you’re a marketer, data scientist, or financial analyst – we’ve got the perfect resume template for you.

Don’t forget to create a Piktochart account (it’s free) so that you can give our resume maker a try and easily customize the CV templates below.

1. One-page simple resume template

2. Customizable one-page resume template for social media specialists

3. Minimalist and clean resume template

4. Black and white resume template

5. Resume template with bold header

6. Formal resume design template

7. Three-page creative resume template

8. Modern resume template

9. Two-page professional resume template

10. Casual resume template

Give some of these resume design templates a try, save time, and get one step closer to the job of your dreams. 

We also made the additional resources below to help you create your best resume ever, get called for an interview, and bag your dream career:

• How to Create an Infographic Resume Plus Templates and Examples  (guide)
• How to Create an Infographic Resume in Less Than 10 Minutes With Piktochart  (video tutorial)
• 70 Well-Designed Resume Examples for Your Inspiration (guide)
• Creating a Perfect Resume in the Time of Coronavirus (guide)

Editor’s note:  This blog post was originally published on May 6, 2018 and updated on April 26, 2022 for relevance, new templates, and comprehensiveness.

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Resume with No Experience

30 Resume Tips And Advice For 2024 [With Expert Insights]

In This Guide:

Resume writing tips

Tips on resume formatting

Tips on how to design a resume that gets noticed

Tips on research and application

Common mistakes to avoid when crafting your resume

Tips on what a good resume includes

Tips on how to write a resume if don't have much experience

Quick Answer: Follow these 30 resume tips to craft a standout resume. Show passion, be specific about impact, exude confidence, tailor to each job, use a master resume, seek feedback, include social media links, highlight promotions, use power words, explain job gaps, use quantifiable numbers, mention career changes, utilize achievements, use colors strategically, research the company, follow up, and avoid common mistakes.

At the end of every year, we sit down at the Enhancv headquarters, and we analyze our database to come up with the best resume tips. This year is no different. We spent a week or so sifting through data, speaking with resume writing experts, and infusing some Enhancv know-how to craft the 2023s ultimate list of resume tips.

There’s a lot to read, so I’ll keep this intro short. Below you’ll find a list of twenty-six resume writing tips that will get you an interview. We’ll also go through a few important questions like “ Will the video resume take over? ” and “Will the traditional resume finally die?”.

The TLDR answer to both, for now, is definitely “No.”, but recruitment is changing, and so is the traditional resume.

Resume writing tips: Write a resume like a professional.

Writing a great resume is no easy task. You have a lot of work in order to transform a good resume into a great one.

How you write is how recruiters picture you. We’ve gone in-depth on the topic of how to write an impressive resume , but we’re also going a step further with the tips below to ensure your resume stands out .

Tip #1. Show your passion (project).

This tip is for: Job seekers with little or no experience.

Every employer wants you to be passionate about what you do. To grab their attention right from the start of your job search, you need to show a passion for the industry you’d like to join or the job you’re aiming to get. The most effective way we’ve seen this done is by sharing a side-project connected to the position you’re applying for.

Let’s take a look at Louis, for example. Louis used an Enhancv resume to get a job at HotJar .

When he applied for a Content Marketer position at Hotjar, Louis featured his side project on his resume. Having interviewed over 10 of the top marketers on his podcast, he knew this would catch the HotJar team’s attention.

Featuring his passion project was vital to get him an interview. He was as specific as possible, including his results. Louis believes this moved the needle for him.

Every Enhancv resume template supports a specific passion project section that you can use to showcase projects you’ve worked on, but aren’t necessarily related to employment.

Further reading

• Programming projects for resume: tips & examples
• How to list projects on a resume: a concise approach

Tip #2. Be specific and show your impact.

This tip is for: Experienced applicants.

You’ve probably heard this advice before, but “be specific” and “show impact” is pretty vague. What exactly means to “show impact?”

It boils down to ensuring every bullet in your experience section answers this question: “What was the result of my involvement?”.

Doing this ensures your resume will instantly stand out from the rest, particularly those which only list responsibilities.

In addition, instead of 10 bullets per job position, focus on 3-5 but make them count. They should be short, concise, and as specific as possible. You can also use Laszlo Bock’s formula: Accomplished X as measured by Y by doing Z .

What does that mean in practice? Here’s Laszlo Block’s (Google’s SVP People Operations) explanation :

Start with an active verb, numerically measure what you accomplished, provide a baseline for comparison, and detail what you did to achieve your goal.

Good example

In 2024, companies want candidates who can have a positive impact on their business. So show them what you can bring to the table. And keep in mind that this can be volunteer work as well.

• How to use volunteer experience to make your resume stand out
• 125 Easy resume action verbs to make your resume better

Tip #3. Be confident.

This tip is for: Everyone.

Your resume is a document that represents not only your areas of expertise but also you as a person. it needs to come across on your resume that you’re proud of who you are and what you’ve achieved. You can do this by keeping your resume consistent, specific, and balancing the professional (experience, education, projects, etc.) with the personal (passions, most proud of, life philosophy).

• Resume sections: everything you need to know
• Perfecting the education section on your resume

Tip #4. Don’t copy-paste the keywords.

Our friends from Fairygodboss (a career blog for women) shared their top resume advice for 2024:

Always tailor your resume! Your generic, send-to-everyone resume won’t land you a competitive job (or even get you in the door for an interview).

Here’s what you can do: Take a highlighter, either physical or digital, and mark each word in your resume that relates to the job you’re applying for. Within the job description, you should find each skill and responsibility and then see if you have something that corresponds to your resume.

While you don’t want to copy and paste all these words in arbitrarily, you do have to demonstrate—with your resume—that you’ve read the job description, have the relevant work experience and history, and have the required skills.

• Resume keywords to land interviews and get hired

Tip #5. Use a master resume to speed up the resume tailoring.

This tip is for: Everyone

Another helpful tip is to create a master resume which has all the relevant skills, job experience and volunteer work listed. A master resume is a general resume template that includes all your work history, volunteer experience , education , and skills . It's basically a generic resume with a record of all the details of your career.

You may find that your master resume is chock-full of information, which is okay because you can pull the most relevant information to create tailored resumes. Job seekers find that using a master resume can actually cut down on the time that it takes to create each resume.

Tip #6. Let someone else review your resume.

It’s never a bad idea to ask someone to look at your resume . Especially if it’s someone who knows you well. Often, they can give you a hand by identifying your strengths and spotting mistakes.

Make your resume with Enhancv make sure to go to the “Share” menu and choose “Get comments from friends” – you can get immediate feedback straight in our resume builder.

Tip #7. Add links to your social media profiles.

Once recruiters receive a resume, many of them go ahead and check your social media accounts, 38% of them to be exact . Why not make it easier for hiring managers and share links to your LinkedIn or Dribble or StackOverflow?

If you share your LinkedIn profile , make sure it’s updated, so it’s in line with your resume. It's in your best interest to update it with a personalized "About Me" section.

You can be a little more personal in your LinkedIn profile, highlighting your key motivations and sharing the challenges you enjoy taking on. You also can write it in the 1st person, rather than the more formal 3rd person, and this helps to share your own unique perspective on your career progression.

Don’t share your personal Instagram or Facebook. Only add those networks if they’re related to your profession. Personal social media accounts aren’t meant for professional use.

Tip #8. Include other relevant links.

Biron from Career Sidekick shared his best advice for creating a resume with us:

Add a link! Most employers and recruiters read resumes digitally, so 2021 is a great time to start adding a link or two.

Putting a link will show them you’re tech-savvy, make your resume stand out at first glance, and increase the time employers spend looking at your background overall.

Here are three ideas of what you can link to:

• A case study showing a before-and-after of a past project. What results did you achieve? How did your past employer benefit from the work you did? Talk about real results, metrics and benefits to that employer, and how you got those results. You can create this as a Google Doc and share the link in your resume “Work History” section underneath your bullet points for that role.
• Create a short, 1-2 minute video explaining why you applied for their job and why you’re a great fit. Walk them through the most relevant pieces of your background and show them that you really took the time to read their job description before applying. You can upload this as an “Unlisted” video on YouTube, so only people you’ve shared the link with can view it.
• Put a link to your online portfolio. If you’re a writer, graphic designer, programmer, or anyone else who could showcase past work in a portfolio, consider creating one and putting a link to it on your resume. If you have a website or blog, you can link to that. If not, you can create a one-page portfolio as a Google Doc for free.

Tip #9. Choose which experience to share wisely.

This tip is for: Mid– to very experienced applicants.

We also reached out to Jon from Jobscan . Here’s what he had to add:

Tailoring your resume to the job description isn’t only about matching keywords and trying to beat applicant tracking systems.

Emphasize the responsibilities and accomplishments within your relevant experience that are most important to the job for which you’re applying, even if they weren’t where you spent most of your time.

For example, let’s say you had a job in which you spent 27 hours per week fulfilling orders and managing inventory for the company’s online store. You spent the other 13 hours providing customer support.

When you apply for a new job as a Customer Service Representative, you don’t need to begin your work experience section with the fulfillment and inventory duties that took up most of your time.

Instead, start with and emphasize your customer support skills and experience because it’s what the employer needs to see in order to qualify you for the role.

Your other relevant experience can still be mentioned, but it doesn’t need to take up 70% of your resume space just because it took up 70% of your week.

Tip #10. Use power words.

Keywords are the nouns–skills, background, experience, achievements—employers look for when filtering candidates.

Power words, on the other hand, are the verbs that emphasize your chosen keywords. Both play a role in helping you win a job.

Weak language like “responsible for” or “accomplished” does your achievements a disservice.

Go for more creative power words that not only emphasize what you did but also tell a story .

Power words to use on your resume

• Implemented

Tip #11. Use a professional email address.

Don’t use the cutesy email you had in high school or college. Use a professional email address instead, with your first and last name as the username.

More tenured applicants should stop using old emails from older providers like Hotmail, Livewire, or AOL.

No one uses a Verizon email address in 2024 – instead stick with Gmail.

Tip #12. Hire a professional resume writer.

Holly from The Work At Home Woman mentioned:

If you’re having trouble crafting your resume, or worse yet, you’re not landing any interviews, it may be time to hire a professional resume writer .

Resume writers are often trained career coaches who write persuasively and can help you eloquently showcase your skills and expertise.

And since they do this for a living, they know all the strategies, resume pointers, and layouts that will make your application stand out.

Resume writers can also help if you’re switching careers, as they know how to spin your current talents into attributes for the new occupation you’re trying to break into. This small investment may help you land your dream job a lot faster.

Get critiques from multiple resume writers first before choosing one. Most offer free critiques, so this is a great way to test if you’ll like how they would approach your application before actually committing to one.

If you don’t want to hire a professional resume writer, we have an amazing resume grader baked into our resume builder .

Tip #13. Keep your resume subheadings simple.

There’s such a thing as being too clever.

Regardless of your chosen resume format or layout, you should always keep your subheadings straight to the point and easy to understand.

An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) will parse all the text from your resume, often stripping it of its design and fancy formatting.

But… and this is huge but, the ATS will use the subheadings listed to interpret the text underneath it.

Avoid catchy but ATS-confusing subheadings like:

• Qualifications
• Accreditations
• Professional background
• Academic Achievements

Tip #14. Use quantifiable numbers.

Use quantifiable figures to paint a clear picture of your achievements. While this is harder than the other resume tips here, especially if you don’t make it a habit to track your work, it certainly is the most impactful.

This applies not only to job-specific technical skills like sales, programming, or operations, but also in terms of soft skills .

Ways to add quantifiable figures to your resume

• Money or resources saved
• Profit earned
• Labor hours saved
• Sales growth
• Manpower growth

Time and dollar figures, of course, aren’t the only ways to add numbers to your resume. You can also talk numbers in terms of:

• Range: Great way to use numbers if you can’t give an exact figure
• Frequency: Show how often you did something to prove mastery
• Size: Team size, number of app downloads, restaurant size, or basically anything that could show the scale of your success or responsibilities

Tip #15. Explain job gaps.

This tip is for: People with experience.

Maybe you were laid off; maybe you were sick, perhaps you had to take care of your ailing parents. Whatever it is, the important thing is how you present yourself. Your resume is where you control the narrative, so it’s only natural that you control this part of your professional history, too. Don’t let recruiters judge you based on incomplete information. Tell them what happened by including a short note on your resume. There’s no need to dress it up. A one-liner in between job entries, or at the end of a short job in case of furloughs or company closure, is fine.

You could write:

• Company closed
• Layoff due to downsizing
• Maternity leave
• Relocated to a new city

Sure, this isn’t like the many boost-up-your-credentials resume tips listed here. But if you have a job gap, it needs to be addressed.

If you are on furlough due to COVID-19 or have been laid off due to this situation, then make a line item on your resume that says you were placed on furlough or the company closed. Because everyone has been affected by the pandemic, it is okay to mention it on your resume.

Dr. Heather Rothbauer-Wanish, Certified Professional Resume Writer

It’s better than waiting and finding out after the recruiter doesn’t call you because of the unexplained job gap in your resume.

Tip #16. Mention career changes in your work history.

This tip is for: Those switching careers

When you're branching out into a new career, be sure to mention your previous work history, while also highlighting that you're jumping headfirst into a new career. By mentioning the career change, you can show hiring managers you're changing careers, rather than just applying to any new position.

U/StageOne 2591 , shares in their Reddit post that they've reviewed over 1000 resumes. They've found that it's better to be upfront with a shift in careers, while highlighting relevant skills related to each career, both the one that you're transitioning out of and the one you're entering. Addressing is your switch in careers is better than leaving it left unexplained. U/StageOne 2591 shares a great example of how to spin a career transition to highlight transferable skills:

“Sales professional with 5 years+ years of experience looking to transition into the position of a front-end web developer. Previous experience developing websites for 3 local business clients.”

This shows that you’re not just applying to random jobs — you’re ACTUALLY trying to transition into a new field.

• How to write a career change resume

Tip #17. Recent graduates should use their accolades in school.

This tip is for: Students or recent graduates

Many job seekers who are fresh out of college struggle to fill their resume, as they don't have a ton of experience in their field. If that's you, then you can share additional relevant information about the awards and accolades that you picked up throughout your college career in your educational background section.

Receiving honors in your degree or a Summa Cum Laude distinction may set you apart from other job applicants. This is especially true if you're applying for an internship or other entry-level position. You may also choose to highlight other skills, including the ability to speak a foreign language.

Tip #18. Include promotions in your resume if you’re applying for an internal position.

This tip is for: experienced professionals

If you're applying for a new position within your company with a new hiring manager, you should share promotions you received while working for said company. You can share this helpful bit of information when you list your responsibilities, highlighting how you've received additional duties while you advanced within the company.

Tip #19. Make sure you properly write each job description in your experience section.

For the most part, the experience section on a resume takes up most of your application. That’s prime real estate. Unfortunately, most applicants waste it by describing their day-to-day activities, while they can make it much more impactful. The secret is to highlight achievements rather than job duties. We already mentioned the importance of talking numbers, so if you skimmed the article so far, jump back to Tip #14. Use quantifiable numbers .

Resume building tips: how to format a resume

While how you write your resume is important, you want the hiring managers actually to read your resume to the very end.

That’s why we’ve packed some resume best practices on formatting that will make sure your resume gets read.

• The best resume formats you need to consider (5+ examples included)

Tip #20. Make every section count.

Having onely one page to fit your whole professional career is not the easiest thing to do, especially if you have extensive professional experience. For this reason, make sure you include only relevant information and sections that will increase the value of your resume.

You can also achieve this by leaving some of your experience out, especially anything which isn’t relevant to the job or company you’re applying for. (Like that waitressing job you did in college.)

Tip #21. Use a reverse chronological format.

This tip is for: Applicants with experience.

When you write your experience section, another rule of thumb is to use a reverse chronological resume template . This means starting from the most recent position first.

Keep your dates consistent, e.g. if you decide to specify months, make sure you mention months everywhere.

We have a pretty in-depth guide on reverse chronological resumes order resumes too.

Tip #22. Keep your resume one to two pages long.

This tip is for: For mid–to very experienced applicants.

Generally, resume experts agree on the fact that resumes should be a page long. While we’re all fine and dandy with one-page resumes, we should also have to admit that two pages are pretty great too. Make sure you keep your resume no longer than two pages. It doesn’t matter how much of an experience you have, truth be told, you can probably shorten it to two pages.

We’ve written a very in-depth guide on resume length that gives you all the information on the topic. Furthermore, you can learn how to fit a lot of experience in a single page in our one-page resume guide or how to properly build a two-page resume .

Tip #23. Create a separate section for notable achievements.

Add a section specifically for your achievements . This is yet another way to tailor your resume to a specific job.

Doing this allows you to minimize the editing work you have to do. Just select two to three achievements most relevant for your desired job, then put it in a separate section.

Use bolding, italics, and all caps to highlight other achievements, such as those related to soft skills for your job.

Resume design tips: How to design a resume that gets noticed

How you write and format your resume may be the difference between getting called for an interview or not, but the design of your resume is what ultimately will get you remembered by the hiring manager.

One of the best resume building pointers we could give you is to make sure that the design of your resume is just perfect. After all, you want to choose a font that makes your resume easy to read and complement it with a color scheme that gets noticed.

We’ve built Enhancv with a focus on creating the most beautiful resumes in the world – focusing on keeping the design professional and ATS-friendly, while ensuring hiring managers can understand why you’re the best person for the job.

Tip #24. Use colors to stand out.

Applying for a job in the 21st century can’t be done with a black and white resume. One of the resume tips the designers and creatives in our readers will like – use colors. We should emphasize that making your resume more colorful means that you should use colors that complement each other and keep your resume looking professional. Having a bit of color on your resume can help you stand out from the pile of black and white sheets of paper that’s already sitting on the desk. If you use the colors of the company you’re applying for, it will instantly signal that you’ve done your research and that it’s not just another position you’re applying for—you really care and want this one.

If you’re applying for a highly corporate or a governmental job, stick to a traditional resume template . If you decide to use colors, use combinations of gray and black, or navy. Check out Enhancv’s resume builder for different color combinations to choose from.

Research and application tips: How to make sure your resume gets you an interview.

And last but not least, you’ll have to be smart when you apply for a job.

Depending on where you live, you may apply alongside 500 other people for the same job position. This can be quite daunting, that’s why you want to make sure your resume gets to the right person.

Here are our pointers to make sure your resume gets read–from networking to research and application.

Tip #25. Analyze the job ad and include the skills they’re looking for within your resume.

Companies get hundreds of applications per position and hiring managers use applicant tracking systems to help them go through the pool of applicants faster. That’s why each job ad a recruiter publishes contains keywords – these job ads are later put into the ATS and the software screens the resumes looking for particular keywords from the job ad.

It’s mandatory that you include the skills from the job description. This means that you meet the job requirements and you’ve read the job description thoroughly.

Before you start writing your resume, analyze the job description and write down these things:

• Keywords describing skills (both soft and hard skills)
• Keywords describing your experience (years, responsibilities, etc.)
• Keywords describing culture (“tight-knit team”, etc.)
• Why you believe you’d be a good fit.
• After you do this, make sure you use those keywords in your resume. The key here is to make it look natural rather than stuff every section with keywords.

Other keywords to look out for:

• Certifications – read our job-specific guides and resume examples for relevant job certifications.
• Tools or programs required for the job.
• Education and degree – Ph.D., master’s, or specific bachelor’s degree.
• Location – companies often use city names or zip codes to narrow down candidates for local-specific jobs.

Tip #26. Send your resume to the right person.

Send your resume to a relevant person instead of just blindly submitting it through a website or job portal.

Yes, many vacancies posted on job platforms don’t reveal the name of the recruiter or hiring manager. But that’s no excuse not to do your research and find the relevant person.

If you’re like many of the candidates who tout “online research” as one of their skills, this should be an effortless task for you.

Here’s how to prove it:

• Copy a couple of sentences from the job ad and paste it on Google. Chances are, the job ad is also posted on their website or LinkedIn. If it’s on LinkedIn, the job ad will show the name of the recruiter at the bottom.
• If the Google search doesn’t yield any results, look up the company’s website and visit their team’s about page. Find the company recruiter and the manager of the department you want to join, then look up their names on LinkedIn and other social media. For startups or small companies, find the CEO, and send your resume directly to them. These extra little steps can really help you stand out.

To find a recruiter or CEO’s email, you can use some free tools such as Hunter or Voila Norbert. Also, you can check their social media profiles or send them a LinkedIn message.

Tip #27. Research your potential colleagues.

It’s easier than ever to find your potential employer and their team members on social media. Right after you read the job description thoroughly, get to know the potential employer. See what their values are, what’s the company all about, etc.

Then try to mirror their language into your resume. When your potential employer reads it, they’ll feel like you already know each other.

Granted, this isn’t one of the resume hints you can easily pull off with ten minutes of work.

But the extra prep work you do here will pay off in dividends once your resume catches their attention.

Plus, you can use your research to do well on the interview.

Tip #29. Give yourself enough time.

Honestly, when it comes to resumes, what most of us want is to spend five minutes on it and have a resume that will get us that dream job.

But good things take time and so does the writing of a good resume. Remember, the upside is getting the job you want, so spending a bit more effort is worth it.

If you try to rush things, it may result in more mistakes, and you might overlook some important things. Think about resume writing as a creative process of self-discovery.

Turn on the music you like and check out some amazing resume examples for 2021. Once you have enough inspiration, go ahead and start writing.

Tip #30. Name your resume PDF or Word file properly.

When you send your resume and your cover letter to a potential employer, they often put them all in one place. That’s why it’s best to name your files properly, including your first and last name, as well as your target job.

In practice, this means: Elon-Musk-Engineer-resume / Elon-Musk-Engineer-cover-letter

This way, if your resume ends up in a file with many others, your potential employer will be able to spot your name straightaway.

Common mistakes to avoid when crafting your resume.

Some of the most common reasons applicants don’t get called for an interview for their dream job position are actually quite minuscule. They just leave a bad impression.

By far, the most common mistakes are typos. Can you believe you did not get a call for a job interview because you made a typo?

Typos alongside length and design are the most common resume mistakes . Luckily, the Enhancv resume builder takes care of all this while you focus on the more important things.

What should a good resume include?

A good resume should be packed with everything that’s needed to show your experience, passions, and know-how.

In other words, a good resume should clearly showcase your experience and know-how . This means that it’s not necessary to include every job you’ve ever had, just the ones that are relevant to the position you’re applying for.

What to include in your resume if you don't have any experience?

But how to craft a powerful resume if you don’t have the experience you may wonder. After all, with no experience, even the best resume tips won’t help you, right?

Fret not, because a resume is not only about experience. People gravitate towards showing how many years they’ve worked and where they’ve worked, because that is what they know how to do best.

The real strength in a resume lies when you show the impact you’ve made. Whether it was a side-project, or at your first job that has nothing to do with the position you’re applying for, impact shows that you’re proactive and result-driven.

We’ve made an in-depth guide on how to craft a powerful resume if you don’t have much experience .

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43+ Resume Tips and Tricks to Land Your Next Job in 2024

Haven’t updated your resume in a while?

We feel you!

There’s a lot that goes into crafting a resume, and unless you’re an expert, the whole process can be overwhelming.

Worry not, though. We’re here to help!

In this value-packed guide, we’re going to give you 43+ of the best resume tips & tricks. Follow these tips to the T, and you’re bound to land your next job.

If you have the time, we’d recommend reading the guide end-to-end. We didn’t include anything that’s “Optional.”

If you don't, that’s fine too! We divided the guide into 3 chapters, with the most important ones on top...

• Fundamental Tips - These resume tips are a game-changer. Whether you follow them or not can be the deciding factor in whether you’re getting hired.
• Essential Tips - These resume tips are very important, but not as important as the Fundamentals. 
• Nice-to-Have Tips - These resume tips aren’t that ground-breaking, but they can still have an impact on your job-search.

Let’s get this started.

19+ Fundamental Resume Tips and Tricks

1) use a professional email address.

No one wants to contact that guy with the tacky email from high school (We’re looking at you, [email protected]).

Create a professional email address for anything related to your job-search and career. 

Any combination of [first name] and [last name] will do.

• [email protected]
• [email protected]

If you have a common name and the email is taken, consider using your initials ( e.g. [FirstNameInitial][LastName]@gmail.com ), or even buying your own custom domain name.

2) Double-Check Your Contact Information

Even the most confident writer is not safe from typos.

Make sure that all your contact information on your resume is accurate, both email and phone number.

After all, even if you’re the most qualified person in the world, it’s not going to matter much if the HR manager can’t contact you.

3) Include Phone Number and Country Code

It’s always a good idea to include your phone number in your resume.

Sure, in most cases, the HR manager will reach you on email. But what if the email gets lost, for whatever reason? Or worse - it goes to your spam section.

If you’re applying for a foreign job, you should also include a country code .

For example, if you’re from Denmark and you’re applying to another country, you’d want to include the country code (+45) in front of your number.

4) Mention Achievements Over Job Responsibilities

When listing your work experience , include achievements instead of responsibilities whenever possible.

Chances are, the HR manager already knows what your responsibilities were from your job title. 

Fun fact: your responsibilities are probably literally the same as everyone else's in your profession.

Instead, to stand out, you want to include as many achievements as possible.

Here’s some achievement examples:

• Exceeded sales KPIs by 25% for 3+ months straight.
• Generated over $25,000 in sales in 1 month.

Compared to responsibilities:

• Generated leads through cold calling.
• Carried out sales operations and managed existing clients.

See the difference? The first example shows that you’re a high achiever. The second shows that you’re a sales manager.

In some fields, though, you might not have any real achievements. If you’re a server, for example, you can’t have “served 200+ people really well” as an achievement.

In that case, it’s totally OK to stick to responsibilities.

Not sure which achievements to mention? Check out our list of 40+ achievements for every field

5) Stick to Relevant Work Experience

Speaking of work experience, make sure you only include previous positions that are relevant to the job you’re applying for .

Make sure that all work experience entries are…

• Timely - Only mention your last 3-5 positions max. No one cares what job you did 15 years ago.
• Contextual - Applying for the role of a dentist ? You don’t have to mention that one time you worked as a pre-school math teacher.

If you don’t have a lot of experience in the field (or no experience at all), though, you can include whatever you have. It’s better to have some experience rather than none .

6) Focus On Other Sections If You Have No Experience

What if you’re a student who’s never worked a day in their life?

The good news is that you don’t need work experience to have a good resume.

In fact, for entry-level jobs, the hiring manager doesn’t expect you to have any experience.

If you want to stand out with a no-experience resume, you can focus more on other sections, such as:

• Coursework - Want to show the HR manager that you have the right know-how, even though you don’t have experience? Mention any relevant courses you took in university.
• Extracurricular Activities - You’ve probably heard the famous college saying - “extracurricular activities are good for your resume.” Well, here’s some good news. It’s not just a rumour, they actually are! List your extracurricular activities just as you’d list your work experience, and you’re good to go.
• Projects - Done some interesting projects in your free time? Maybe you grew an instagram page to thousands of followers. Or, you worked on a part-time startup in uni? Whichever the case, you can add it to your resume.

Want to learn how to write a convincing student resume? Be sure to check out our no-experience resume guide !

7) Be Super Specific - Add Numbers, Data, and Experiences When Possible

Everything you write in your resume should be very specific .

Back every claim with specific experiences, numbers, or data.

What do we mean by that? Well, compare these 2 examples:

• Results-oriented sales manager with 5+ years of experience in the fin-tech industry. Driven over $500,000 worth of enterprise software sales at Company X. Deep knowledge of multiple CRM tools, including SalesForce, PipeDrive, HubSpot CRM, and more.
• Sales manager looking for the next step in their career. Previous experience involves doing sales for several software companies. Deep knowledge of CRM software.

See the difference between the two examples?

The first is very specific, mentioning numbers, data, experiences, etc.

The second, on the other hand, is very generic. The only thing you learn from it is that the candidate does sales.

8) Gap In Your Resume? Explain What Happened

A gap in your resume can be a huge red flag - but only if you don’t address it.

The hiring manager is going to assume the worst by default. So, it’s a good idea to be direct and insert 2-3 sentences acknowledging the gap and explaining what happened.

To do this, just make a small note under your latest work experience entry:

MadeUpHospital

Jan 2016 - Jun 2017

*Quit due to medical reasons in 2017, looking to rejoin the workforce.

• Responsibility #1
• Responsibility #2
• Responsibility #3

Need more tips & tricks on how to get your career back on track? Check out our complete guide to getting back to work after a long period of unemployment !

9) Mention Promotions and Career Progression

Recently got promoted? Congrats!

Make sure to mention that in your resume. 

Company Name

Latest Position

• Dates Worked
• Promotion Explanation (can be an achievement)
• Achievements/Responsibilities

Older Position

10) Use Active Language

Language matters.

The way you present your achievements can amplify their significance, or downplay their worth.

Compare these 2 examples:

• Spearheaded company X’s content marketing operations.
• Responsible for content marketing at company X.

The first example makes you seem more in-charge, like what you did had a huge impact.

The second, on the other hand, sounds super plan, as if you straight up said “I did content marketing.”

You should use action words to make your achievements sound a LOT more significant. 

Some of our favorite action words include:

• Accelerated
• Accomplished
• Contributed

Not sure which action words you want to use? Check out our complete list of 340+ best action verbs for your resume .

11) Tailor Your Resume to Job Ad

Imagine 2 resumes:

• The first describes THE person you’re looking for. They possess all the relevant skills and experiences, and they’re accurately listed in the resume.
• The second MIGHT be the person you’re looking for, but you’re just not sure. They seem to have some relevant experience, but not others.

Which one would you pick? Exactly!

So, how do you make YOUR resume look like the first example?

By tailoring it to the job ad!

How? Well, let’s look at the following job ad:

We’ve highlighted some of the essential skills in blue above. 

Now, to tailor your resume to these requirements, all you’d have to do is mention in your resume that you:

“Have 5+ years of experience in online marketing.” 

• You can mention this in your resume summary.

“Have experience with social media marketing.” 

• This can go in either the “Skills” or “Work Experience” section

“Have a B.A. in marketing or business.” 

• This, of course, belongs in the education section.

“Have experience in managing $20,000+ monthly ad budget on Facebook.” 

• You can mention this in either Work Experience or Resume Summary

If your resume mentions all the essential job requirements, there’s no reason for the hiring manager NOT to call you back!

12) Create a Convincing Cover Letter

Do you want to get an interview in just about every job you apply to?

Well, that’s going to require a bit more effort than usual: you’re going to have to create a killer cover letter.

For most job-seekers, the cover letter is an after-thought. 

They put 100% of their focus on the resume, and re-use the same cover letter for every position they apply for.

Here’s the thing, though: a cover letter is as important as a resume. In a lot of cases, it can even be the deciding factor on whether you get called in for an interview or not.

So, want to know how to write a good cover letter? Here’s what it should include:

• Your Contact Information.
• Hiring manager’s contact information.
• Opening paragraph - Brief introduction to your career, 1-2 top achievements and intent (why you’re applying for this company or position) 
• The body - Go through your experiences and achievements in more detail. Explain how your background is relevant for the position they’re hiring for.
• Closing paragraph - Summarize your main points, and include a call to action (“if you’re interested, I’d love to chat!”)

There’s a LOT more to creating a good cover letter than what we just covered. Check out our complete guide to cover letters for a more detailed walkthrough on how to make one!

13) Keep Your Resume 1-2 Pages at Most

An ideal resume length is 1 page .

Nope, no excuses. 95%+ of job-seekers don’t need to go past the one-page limit.

After all, HR managers receive over 1,000+ resumes for each open position. They don’t have the time to read your autobiography.

There are some exclusions to the one-page rule, though. You can go up to 2 pages if:

• You’re applying for a job in academia. In which case, it’s OK to go up to even 3 pages.
• If you’re an experienced executive with a decade’s worth of work experience.

Want to learn more? Check out the guide on how long should a resume be ! 

14) Use a Reverse-Chronological Resume Format

Part of creating an effective resume is choosing the right format to tell your story.

If you ask just about any career expert (including us), they’d recommend you to stick with the reverse-chronological format .

That means starting off every resume section with your latest experience, and working your way down to the earliest.

In some rare cases (if you have a career gap, for example), you might want to go for a different resume format, such as the Functional Resume or a Combination Resume. If you want to learn more, check out our guide to resume formats .

15) Include White Space

White space refers to the space in your resume between all the sections and paragraphs of text.

When formatting your resume, you should keep some space in between your sections so that it’s easier for the HR manager to skim your resume.

Here’s some basic layout info you should keep in mind when it comes to white space:

• Margins - aim for 1-inch margin on all four sides of your resume to maximize white space.
• Line spacing - go for 1.0 or 1.15 line spacing between text and double lines after subheadings.
• Bullet points - limit up to 6 points within each section.

Not sure if you’ve got your resume layout right? Check out our guide!

16) Use the Right Resume Font

You want your resume to be easy to read, right?

But at the same time, you also want it to stand out.

That means that you should pick the right font, and the right font size.

Here’s what we recommend:

• Best resume fonts: Ubuntu, Robot, Overpass
• Best resume font size: 11-12pt for normal text, 14-16pt for section titles and headers

Check out our full guide on best resume font, size, and format for more info and practical examples.

17) Make Your Resume ATS-Friendly

ATS is an applicant tracking system that many businesses use to screen resumes.

The way this works is, the ATS scans your resume to see if you mention the right keywords, and if you don’t, it automatically discards your application.

So, how do you make sure that a robot doesn’t reject your resume that worked so hard on?

Well, it’s 2 things:

• Pick a Tried-and-Tested Format - Here’s the thing: if the ATS can’t scan your resume, it will automatically discard it. So, you want to use a resume that’s built with ATS in mind. We might be biased, but we’d recommend trying out Novorésumé. We build our resume with with ATS in mind, making it scannable by applicant tracking systems world-wide.
• Sprinkle the Right Keywords - Just as we explained in the “Tailor Your Resume” tip, go through the job ad and figure out what keywords the ATS could be looking for. Then, sprinkle them all around your resume. Head over here if you want to learn more about ATS & keywords .

18) Don’t Lie On Your Resume

This one’s pretty obvious, but we thought we’d mention it anyway:

Don’t lie on your resume. Ever.

You’re going to be found out sooner or later and it’s going to cost you your job, or even your career.

It’s just not worth it.

19) Use an Online Resume Builder

Ever used Word editing tools to build your resume?

Then you probably know what we mean when we say that it’s a total pain.

You spend hours perfecting your resume, and then you make a single, small layout change, and BAM! The whole resume gets messed up.

Want to save yourself from all that hassle?

Use an online resume builder !

All you have to do is pick your favorite resume template , and start filling it in.

Whether you’re a recent graduate, or a professional with a decade of work experience, we have the right format for you!

13+ Essential Resume Tips and Tricks

20) include your job title in resume.

Your professional title should be the job title you’re applying for word-for-word.

Applying for a job as an advertising account executive?

Make sure to include the position name in your resume (below your name) as it’s written in the job ad. 

Ditch the buzzwords - no hiring manager likes those.

• Software Developer
• Code Monkey Ninja Samurai Hero

21) Name Your Resume Correctly

Once you’re done optimizing your resume and you’re ready to send it in, make sure the PDF version has the right name.

The ideal format is FullName - Resume .

• John Doe - Resume.pdf
• John Resume - Final Final Final Version Fixed 

22) Use Correct Subheadings

You’ll want your resume section subheadings to be accurate and easy to find.

So, to help the HR manager reading your resume, try to keep things simple.

• Resume Summary
• Work Experience
• Organizations
• Background Information
• Career History
• Groups Part Of

Bonus Points - this can also help Applicant Tracking Systems read your resume. They recognize “Work Experience,” but not “Work History.”

23) Include Only Relevant Social Media

Wondering if you should include social media links in your resume?

As a rule of thumb, you should only mention the ones that are relevant to your profession and career.

Here’s a brief overview of what you might include:

• LinkedIn - If your LinkedIn is updated, you can mention it for most professions.
• Stack Overflow / GitHub - If you’re a software engineer.
• Medium -Are you a freelance writer or blogger? Include your Medium.
• Quora - Are you an influencer in your field? Mention your Quora account (as long as you have a decent number of answers).
• Website/Blog - Do you have an online presence? Maybe a personal blog that positions you as an expert? If so, make sure to mention it.

24) Include Resume Objective or Summary

The hiring manager looks at your resume for 5-6 seconds max to decide if they’re going to read the rest or not.

Want to catch their attention in a snap?

Use a resume objective or summary.

Both of these sections act as an introduction to your resume, and are used to show that you’re qualified for the job from the get-go (before the HR gets to read the rest of your resume).

So, what’s what?

Both of these sections go in your resume header, right under your contact information section.

A resume objective is mainly for students, or professionals switching their careers. An objective is a 3-4 sentence snapshot of your professional goals and aspirations.

A resume summary is a 3-4 sentence summary of your resume. You use this instead of a resume objective if you’ve previously worked as the position you’re applying for.

• Multilingual customer service representative looking to provide Company X provide stellar customer experience. Strong communication skills, fluent in English, German, and French. Basic knowledge of CRM systems.
• Proactive UX designer with 5 years of experience in delivering enjoyable web and mobile products within the FinTech industry. Designed UI/UX and other marketing materials for 6 apps and 3 games at Company X, 2 of which were features in the App store. Skilled with Sketch and Adobe Creative Studio.

25) Don’t Use Personal Pronouns (“I”, “Me”)

Once you put your name at the top of your resume, it’s already implied that everything you mention in your resume applies to you.

So, there is no need to unnecessarily repeat “I did…” in your resume countless times.

• Managed data entry integrity within the applicant tracking system, ensuring timely entry and visibility of recruitment activity within ATS/CRM technologies.
• I managed data entry integrity within the applicant tracking system. I ensured timely entry, and I worked on the visibility of recruitment activity within the ATS/CRM technologies.

26) Consider Optional Resume Sections

Still have extra space to fill within your resume and want to show off your other important qualifications?

You can include some of the following optional sections to help your resume stand out:

• Hobbies and interests - While this is not a game-changer, they can really help show YOU are as an individual. 
• Volunteering experience - If you try to help others in your free time, while expecting nothing in return, chances are that you’re the type of employee who’s in it for more than just the money. This can be a huge plus for the HR manager.
• Certifications and awards  - Do you have any relevant certifications and awards in your field? As long as it’s relevant, feel free to include it.
• Publications - Are you a freelance writer or a distinguished author? You can include your published works (online, academic journal, etc.) here.
• Projects - Working on a side project can really show off your passion for your field. Hiring managers love employees who do cool work in their free time.

27) Tailor Your Skills to The Job Position

When scanning your resume, one of the most important things hiring managers look for is whether you have the right skills or not.

They’re not looking for just any skills, either. They’re looking for the skills that are going to help you excel at the job you’re applying for.

So, you need to tailor your skills section for each position you apply for.

You can usually figure out which ones are worth mentioning by scanning the job ad.

As a given, make sure you don’t mention anything that’s not directly related to your job.

For example, no one cares about your Photoshop design skills if you’re applying to work as a cashier.

Not sure which skills you can include? Check out our comprehensive list of 150+ must-have skills for any resume .

28) Cut the Fluff

Fluff is way more common than you’d think.

A lot of university students and fresh graduates often fill up their skills section with buzzwords like:

• Critical thinking
• Communication

But if you take a step back and think about it, those skills don’t mean anything. You know it, we know it, the HR manager knows it.

Without providing an example, they’re just a waste of space.

Just about everyone is good at “ communication ” - it doesn’t mean anything without experience to back it up.

So, go through your resume again, and think about this: does everything I say provide clear value?

If the answer is “No,” we’d recommend cutting it and replacing it with something more interesting.

Don’t have much experience? Struggling to fill in your resume? Check out our guide to making a no-experience resume .

29) Proofread With a Tool Like Grammarly

You can’t afford to have any typos on your resume.

There’s nothing more ironic than someone claiming to have an “eye for detail” with a bunch of spelling mistakes in their resume.

So, to be positive that your resume is typo-free, you can use a tool like Grammarly when you’re going over your final edits.

While Microsoft Word and Google Docs do a decent job of detecting errors, it’s always a good idea to have a backup spelling tool just in case.

30) Be Consistent With Section Formatting

Be consistent with your section formatting so that your overall resume is easy on the eyes.

This includes things like:

• Line spacing.

31) Include Volunteering Experience

You can’t go wrong with volunteering experience.

It’ll make you stand out regardless of your job position or industry. 

If the volunteering experience is somehow related to your career and has some transferable skills, you can even include it in your work experience

Here’s what that might look like:

Volunteer Camp Instructor

FireTech Summer Camps

06/2018 - 09/2018

Courses taught:

• Coding games with Java
• Python and electronics with Minecraft
• Teen coding with Python

32) Include Irrelevant Jobs if You Have No Other Experience

As a general rule, when applying for a job, you only list work experience that’s relevant for the position.

But what if you have none?

In that case, it’s totally OK to mention ANY work experience you might have, even if it’s not relevant for the job you’re applying for.

Look at it this way: the recruiter is more likely to hire someone that's worked A job, rather than a person that's never worked a day in their life.

11+ Nice-to-Have Resume Tips and Tricks

33) include languages and proficiency.

Most companies are international nowadays, and being bilingual is a great way to gain a competitive advantage.

Even if knowing a foreign language isn’t necessary for the job you’re applying for, it might come in handy at some point in the future.

When listing languages, you should always include your skill level:

• Intermediate

Oh, and it goes without saying that you shouldn’t lie about your skill levels.

Trust us, you don’t want to end up in a situation where the interviewer is a native Spanish speaker, and you exaggerated your “Proficient Spanish.”

34) Don’t Include “Reference Available Upon Request”

This is another common mistake many people still make.

Having a whole section dedicated to that one phrase is just a waste of space.

Hiring managers know they can always request your list of references - so what’s the point of mentioning it?

35) Don’t Include a Photo (If You’re From the US and UK)

There’s a lot of confusion around photos on resumes .

Some people always use a photo on their resume.

Others believe it’s a strict no-no.

So, which one is it?

It depends on your location.

There are strict anti-discrimination labor laws in some countries, namely:

• United Kingdom
• United States

If you’re from one of those countries, don’t include a photo on your resume.

Obviously, there are some exceptions to the rule - such as, if you’re applying for a modelling job.

If you’re from anywhere else in the world, though, you can include a photo. 

36) Feeling Stumped? Get Inspired by Resume Examples

Have doubts about your resume design or layout?

Check out some of our job-winning resume examples .

We made sure to cover samples for several different fields, including business, computer science, and more!

37) Read Your Resume Out Loud

While it may sound awkward, reading your resume out loud is the best way to spot any awkward phrases or spelling mistakes.

Sure, Grammarly is useful, but it often misses a lot of really obvious mistakes (which the HR manager probably won’t!).

This is going to be monotonous, yes. But it’s the best way to proofread your resume and it also beats any spell checking tools out there.

38) Clean Up Your Online Presence

Imagine this:

The recruiter LOVES your resume.

They’re about to call you in for an interview, but before that, they decide to check up on your online presence.

Big mistake.

The first thing that pops up when they Google your name is your Facebook page, with very embarrassing photos from your last night out.

Not really that appropriate for a Senior Banker.

Want to avoid such awkward situations? Make sure your online presence is working FOR you, not against you:

• Change your Facebook Privacy setting to “Friends” to make sure random people can’t see your profile.
• Clean up your Twitter account, make sure you’re not posting anything too scandalous.
• Google your name and see if you can find anything off. You can ask Google to remove any private sensitive information .

Do you have a LinkedIn profile? You should! It shows the recruiter that you’re serious about your career.

Make sure to optimize your LinkedIn profile so that it complements your resume!

39) Consider Putting Education First

The most important sections of your resume should come first.

Are you a student with very limited work experience?

Consider putting your education section on top of your work experience.

This places a lot more focus on your education career, as opposed to any irrelevant jobs you might have worked.

Of course, if you have worked a job in your field, you’d always want to put work experience on top.

40) Add Your Courses In the Education Section

If your education section is your biggest selling point, then you might want to also add any relevant courses you’ve taken.

As usual, relevance is key here. Applying for a job in finance? The recruiter doesn’t care about the social media course you took in your freshman year.

B.A. in Accounting and Finance

• Advanced financial statistics
• Econometrics II
• Advanced accounting II
• Media communication
• Digital and social media
• Communication research

41) Use DocSend to Track Your Resume

Ever wondered what happens after you send in your application?

Did the HR even read your resume, or did it fall through the cracks?

Well, with a tool like DocSend , you can know for sure whether someone look at your resume or not.

The way this works is, you upload your resume on DocSend, and it gives you a link you can use.

Whenever someone opens your link and looks at your resume, you’ll get a notification.

Cool, right?

This way, you can know for sure if you can expect a call for an interview (the HR looked at your resume for 60+ seconds), or you’re just not qualified (HR closed the resume within 5 seconds of opening it).

And to put the cherry on top, you’ll know if the HR manager missed your resume (you won’t get the notification within a week), so you can just send them a quick reminder!

• Unfortunately, this method only works if you’re applying for a job through e-mail and not through an online application.

42) Use Colors to Stand Out

The color scheme you use in your resume is an important part of its design.

Ideally, you should strike the right balance of creativity and professionalism.

If you’re applying for a job in a more conservative industry (e.g. finances, banking), a standard black and white theme is fine.

But if you’re applying to work in a creative startup as a web designer or a developer, you can get more creative.

After all, HR managers get a TON of resumes every day, and most of them look exactly the same.

Whenever you can afford to stand out with your resume, you should!

43) Consider Using a Professional Template

If you’re looking to create a new resume but don’t want to go through the painstaking process of creating one from scratch - consider using a professional template.

There’s a lot of pre-built online resume templates that can have you up and running with a fully customized resume in a matter of minutes.

There’s a lot of variety as well. You can pick a design that works perfectly for your industry or field.

Want to give it a try? Check out some of our top resume templates !

Key Takeaways

And that's a wrap!

There are a ton of resume tips & tricks on the web, and in this guide, we covered all the essential stuff.

So, we hope you enjoyed the guide and are a lot more confident with your resume skills!

Looking for more actionable advice? Check out our career blog for industry-leading career tips and tricks!

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Blog Human Resources 16 Resume Design Ideas From a Hiring Manager

16 Resume Design Ideas From a Hiring Manager

Written by: Victoria Clarke May 25, 2023

A resume serves as a concise summary of an individual’s skills, qualifications, and professional background, presenting them in a way that resonates with potential employers. 

From the perspective of hiring managers, good resume design streamlines the recruitment process. A well-organized and visually pleasing resume allows hiring managers to quickly assess a candidate’s qualifications, experience, and suitability for a role. 

Creating a resume that stands out requires careful attention to detail and a focus on effectively communicating your qualifications and experiences with the help of a winning layout, an effective resume font and everything in between.

Without further ado, here are some of my favorite resume templates , design ideas and tips from hiring managers across industries to get you started on the journey of crafting a winning resume.

Click to jump ahead:

• 16 winning resume ideas

10 resume design tips from hiring managers that will get you hired

What should a resume include, do’s and don’ts of infographic resume design.

Short on time? Here’s the condensed video version:

16 winning resume design ideas

Struggling to make your resume stand out? It’s a common challenge. But the good news is, a well-designed resume can make a big difference.

In this section, I’ll walk you through 16 practical resume design ideas that can help you create a strong and visually appealing document.

• Create a beautiful resume design with an eye-catching border
• Use data visualizations to show off your soft skills 
• Make sure your resume design fits your industry
• Stick to a consistent color palette throughout your resume design
• Keep it simple
• Highlight your contact information with a different background color
• Use multiple fonts for your resume design
• Always include some power words in your resume
• Design a data-driven infographic resume
• Use bold colors to highlight important power words
• Include direct links to your social media platforms
• Feature icons to illustrate your interests outside of work
• Write a resume introduction that fits your experience
• Include a simple timeline to visualize education or experience
• Use icon headers to draw the eye to important information
• Use a visually appealing resume to showcase the value of your skills

1. Create a beautiful resume design with an eye-catching border

I think it’s safe to say that most resumes are going to be printed on a crisp piece of white paper. And the most color that they will use is probably a light gray or a dark blue. Just like the fifty other resumes that a manager has on their desk.

Adding an interesting border, like in the resume design example above, can really help your resume to stand out. You can also inject a little bit of your personality into the resume without pulling the reader’s attention away from the important information as well.

I would recommend using a flat color, a simple texture or muted pattern for your border. Anything else, like a photo or gradient, will be more distracting than helpful.

I think it goes without saying it is best to consider the nature of the company you’re applying to when selecting an appropriate border for your resume. Your approach should be more conservative if you’re applying for a bank or other more formal company.

But a creatively driven company, like Venngage, will likely appreciate something more adventurous, like the beautiful resume above.

Just so you know : Some of our templates are free, some are paid. Click any template, sign up for free and use our free online  resume maker  to easily customize the template (no design experience required!).

2. Use data visualizations to show off your soft skills 

Talking about what soft skills you possess is a little difficult on your resume. If you’re going to advertise them, back up your claims with evidence during your interviews.

I believe a data visualization, like in this resume design, is a fantastic way to highlight your soft, and hard skills. A unique data visualization will not only catch the eye of the reader, but it will also present your information in a unique way, making for a more successful CV .

In this resume template, they use a pie chart at the top and a bar graph in the body of the resume. Both of these visualizations will help the hiring manager get to know the applicant a little better and provide them with the information they need to make an informed decision.

Additionally, I really like that in this resume design example they included some keywords that describe the candidate from the beginning.

3. Make sure your resume design fits your industry

Not every design tip that I will talk about in this part of the article is praised in every industry. And I think the resume design above is a great illustration of this point.

A resume like this is perfect for creative industries but may not be appreciated in corporate industries like a bank.

A creative resume like the one below is perfect for a professional photographer because it allows them to show off their work.

However, if you’re an amateur photographer applying for a Customer Support role it might not add value to your application.

So if you plan to create a resume like this, make it appropriate for the job or industry you’re applying to!

4. Stick to a consistent color palette throughout your resume design

If you want your resume to succeed, I would strive to make consistent design choices throughout. Make it your mission to use the same fonts, types of icons and colors in each section of your resume.  

In this resume design template, the designers stuck to a beautifully consistent color palette . With light pinks interacting perfectly with the darker purples. Additionally, because they used a white background the colors really jump off the page.

The consistent color palette not only looks great but makes this beautiful resume very easy to read as well.

Now if they didn’t use the same colors for the headers, subheaders and data visualization, this resume would look chaotic and unprofessional.

5.  Keep it simple

It can be hard to summarize everything you’ve practiced, learned and accomplished during your time at a company. However, it is important to not say too much on your resume and risk overwhelming the hiring manager with the amount of information you are presenting.

To combat information overload when creating your resume, use a basic resume template with a simple, clean design. This will challenge you to condense your points to focus on what really needs to be said in order to position yourself as an ideal candidate for the role.

For example, this basic resume template only highlights two past jobs:

Sometimes less is more. The simple layout makes this basic resume template easy to read and the core skills easy to detect.

Just make sure to adjust your resume when you’re applying to different jobs–swap out the skills listed for others that more closely match the job description.

6. Highlight your contact information with a different background color

As I said above, your contact information should be very easy to find. Preferably it will be placed in its own section of the resume for easy access.

I mean, you don’t want to miss out on the job of your dreams because the manager or software can’t find your phone number!

One of the simplest ways to draw attention to your contact information is to use a different background color.

For example, the simple resume example below uses almost 1/4th of the page for their contact information:

They made it stand out from the rest of the resume just by changing the background color to a nice shade of beige. This might not seem like an earth-shattering addition, but it will help a reader quickly consume and use your resume!

7.  Use multiple fonts for your resume design

Using a single font throughout your resume is one of the worst things design decisions you can make.

There are literally thousands of fonts out in the world you can use. Honestly, with that many choices, there’s no excuse for using a single font on any design project, but especially a resume.

If you’re not comfortable picking fonts yet, check out our font guide first!

In this resume template, they use a combination of three different fonts and italics to make things interesting:

One for the headers(1), another for the sub-headers(2) and a final one for the body text(3). A combination that features serif and sans serif fonts like this makes the resume easy to skim and jump from one piece of information to the next.

This professional resume template uses a different font for the header and subheaders, but the differences are subtle to keep the overall look conservative and clean.

8. Always include some power words in your resume

As a baseline, you should always strive to include words used directly in the job description for the role you’re applying for. As the hiring manager has these words in mind when screening resumes, it is a surefire way to make your resume pop.

To help your resume really stand out, I would recommend using power words throughout the descriptions.  According to TheBalanceCareers , these power words should include:

• Action verbs
• Company values
• Skill words
• Specific keywords
• Industry buzzwords

In the resume introduction above they used a nice mix of all of those types of power words.

Using these powerful words will not only help your resume stand out to hiring managers but also make it through the software they use to filter candidates.

Just remember to not go overboard and include too many of these power words. It may cause your resume to look inauthentic, and end up in the trash can.

9.   Design a data-driven infographic resume

If you were not away, Venngage started as an infographic resume company! Back in the day, we would create an infographic resume from the information on your LinkedIn page.

Obviously, we have come a long way since then, but we still know how powerful an infographic resume can be.

A combination of data visualizations, icons, and more can make your resume design wholly unique and easily digestible. In the resume template below they used not one, but four data visualization to tell their professional story:

This approach is a great way for someone with not a ton of experience to fill out a full resume. As you can see above, they used a timeline to outline their education, travels, and internships. And then a bar chart to explain some of the skills they learned while in college.

Overall, I think it’s a resume that will definitely get you a job interview ! You’ll appear creative and innovative, two skills that are highly celebrated in the modern workforce.

Related Reading:  How to Answer Behavioral Interview Questions Like a Pro !

10. Use bold colors to highlight important power words

In a previous tip, we briefly talked about how important power words are. These are words that could make or break your resume. So if you skipped that part, go back and read it now!

If you want your power words to stand out even more on your resume, use a different font color like below:

This designer made sure that the reader will see those power words by highlighting them with a nice lilac. This beautiful resume really stands out from the pack.

Not sure what colors to use in your resume? Check out this in depth color guide !

I really like this approach because those keywords will stick with a manager throughout the hiring process. Plus, if they are just skimming the resumes those power words will immediately jump out and grab their attention.

If you are creating a resume for a more conservative workplace, you could adapt this approach and simply bold the text you want to stand out.

11. Include direct links to your social media platforms

In the contact section of your resume, use links that a manager can easily copy and paste into their browser. Remember that you want to make your resume easy to use and interact with.

I would also recommend adding any links to your work on other sites like LinkedIn, Medium, Behance, Dribbble or even your own WordPress or Wix website. The resume design example above actually includes a direct link to their Behance profile.

A curious hiring manager might want to check out your past work before looking at the rest of your resume. Again, make it almost too easy to learn more about you with a simple link.

If your work is good enough, it might just get you the job. Or at least make your name stand above all the other applicants.

Remember, the links you should provide will vary based on industry and job role. Be sure to only include links to your social media profiles that support your candidacy for the role you are seeking. Yes, the photos of your puppy on your Instagram are cute, but sharing a profile of this nature is likely appropriate for a Community Manager but not a Software Developer.

12. Feature icons to illustrate your interests outside of work

Most companies these days don’t just care about your experience, they also want to see if you’re a good culture fit.

At Venngage we truly value finding candidates that will enrich our culture by aligning with our core values. This is because we can always teach you a skill or process, but not how to be a team player. Or a fun person to work with!

I know that including a concept as large and abstract as your personality on your resume can be a little tricky. That’s why I recommend using a few simple icons to illustrate your hobbies and interests. Like so:

As you can see in this resume design example, the designer included a bunch of icons to show what she likes to do during her free time.

Hiring managers can learn a lot about a candidate with this information, so don’t forget to include it. And with a few well-placed icons you can make a visually appealing resume.

13. Write a resume introduction that fits your experience

According to the fine people at ResumeCoach , there are 3 main types of resume introductions that you can use.

The first one called an Objective Introduction , should be used if you don’t have a lot of experience in the field or industry. This kind of introduction can be thought of as an abbreviated cover letter as well. The resume example below lists some very interesting information about the applicant:

Next, we have the Qualifications Introduction , which is exactly what it sounds like. With this kind of intro, you should only list your relevant soft skills and abilities. The resume design example below uses their management experience as a focal point as they applied for a more senior role:

And finally, we have the Summary Introduction , which is basically a brief synopsis of your relevant jobs and experience. This introduction is built for people with a ton of direct experience and accomplishments in the industry.

The resume design example below includes a nice mix of accomplishments, qualifications, and experience:  

Just remember to include only things that are very relevant to the job that you’re applying for. Also, don’t write a novel on your resume, keep any introduction short and sweet.

14. Include a simple timeline to visualize education or experience

One of the best ways to visualize your past experience or education is with a simple timeline .

Most people are very familiar with timelines and will be able to consume the information efficiently.

I should be noted that any timeline you add to your resume should be relatively minimalist.

The timeline in this resume example strikes the perfect balance between informative and interesting. If the timeline design gets too complicated, it will distract from your written information.

You can even use a timeline infographic to organize your education if you have multiple degrees like they did above.

WATCH: How to customize this resume template [Venngage tutorial]

15. Use icon headers to draw the eye to important information

Icons can be used in a bunch of different ways on your resume. We have already outlined a few interesting ways you can incorporate them in previous sections.

But I think the best way to use icons is as headers for important information in your resume.

Not sure what I’m talking about? Take a look at how this designer used icons across his resume:

For every ability, skill, educational milestone and more they attached a related icon. This won’t only help the reader gain some quick insight but also draw their eye to each piece of information.

Plus it makes the resume look extremely unique!

16. Use a visually appealing resume to showcase the value of your skills

A well-designed, visually appealing resume can help to highlight your skills. Good design helps your resume look cleaner and draw the hiring manager’s eye to the bits you want to showcase. A poorly designed resume can be distracting.

Above are all the different elements of design one can include to make the optimal resume, it is crucial to consider the elements, or principles, of visual design. The principles of design work together to create a visual piece that is aesthetically pleasing and optimizes the user experience. If you haven’t picked up on it yet, the experience of the hiring manager viewing your resume is highly important for your success.

Some principles of design you should consider when making a visually appealing resume include:

• White space

Not sure where to get started? Here are 35+ resume examples to boost your job search.

Let’s dive into the essential parts of a resume that every hiring manager is looking for.

1. Contact information

The first part of your resume should always include your name and contact information. You want to make it as easy as possible for a hiring manager to find you on professional websites (such as LinkedIn) or contact you with any questions or comments.

So don’t hide this pertinent info at the bottom of your resume or in some other odd space. Be sure this information is both clear and obvious to the reader, like in this template where it’s clearly presented in the top right:

The resume contact information section should include your:

• Phone Number
• Home Address
• Email Address
• Social Media Usernames (if applicable)

Only include your website or social media handles if it relates to your job function i.e. a social media marketer would want to add their social usernames and a writer would want to link to a portfolio.

That said, you should always mention your LinkedIn profile.

2. Resume introduction

Once a hiring manager has skimmed through the contact information, your resume introduction is probably going to be the first substantial thing they read. This is your first opportunity to pitch yourself as an ideal fit for the role–imagine this as the “hard copy” of your elevator pitch.

You should only include things that really set you apart from the rest of the applicants, such as:

• Direct Experience
• Responsibilities
• Soft & Hard Skills
• Accomplishments

For example, this tidy infographic resume neatly sums up the applicant’s experience in the intro:

The resume introduction sets the tone for the story you are trying to sell through your resume. When approached correctly, you can entice the hiring manager to continue reading your resume. So make it count.

3. Relevant Skills

This section is meant to be short and to the point, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t important. Especially if you work in an industry that has an emphasis on technical skills to succeed. These are known as hard skills because they are easily defined and measured.

For example, if you want to be a professional designer you must have a ton of experience with the Adobe suite. But a writer may need WordPress experience. This resume design idea uses a cool graph to illustrate skill level:

You also can highlight soft skills on your resume if they are related to your current or future position. As you probably guessed, soft skills are the opposite of hard skills and are not easily defined or measured.

Highlighting your skills and abilities is important because it is a snapshot of what positions you as an ideal candidate for the role. This section plays a supporting role to the claims you made in your resume Introduction. As hiring managers are often reviewing dozens of resumes at a time, it is crucial to have a precise Introduction and Skills Overview to catch their attention at first glance.

4. Education

The first entry in your education section should always be the most recent you completed. So if you got an advanced degree, that should come first, followed by your undergraduate degree.

Like the contact section, there are a few things that you should always include in the education part of a resume.

These four pieces of pertinent info include:

• School Name
• School Location
• Degree/Major/Minor
• Years Attended

You really don’t need to include more than that. The hiring manager will ask questions if they want to learn more about your education and such.

5. Job experience

Another essential part of a resume is job experience. Like in the previous section, you should start with your most recent job and work backward.

It’s good to include descriptions of what each recruiting opportunity entails, and be sure to use these descriptions to prove how they qualify you for this position . Avoid omitting experiences you do not perceive as relevant to the role, as the benefits of transferable skills may surprise you. However, you may skip the full description of roles from many years ago and just list the basics (who, what and where).

For each job you want to highlight on your resume, include these four things:

• Company name
• Dates of employment
• List of responsibilities & achievements

Each of these responsibilities or achievements should be presented as a bullet point like above. Otherwise, your resume will be very hard to read!

To save time, you could always turn to one of these 12 resume makers to ensure a professional-looking resume that highlights your qualifications and increases your chances of landing job interviews.

A well designed infographic resume can be a big differentiator and move you to the top of the pile in seconds for that dream job. Unfortunately, a badly designed one can also disqualify you just as fast. How can you  create a successful infographic resume ? Here are a few do’s and don’ts for creating your own infographic resume:

• Use bar or column charts to display your skills, expertise and years of experience
• Stick to simple and easy to understand charts
• Limit the length of your infographic to about one page
• Pick a color scheme that works for you and the reader
• Tell your own personal story to help hiring managers learn more about you
• Include a call to action

Don’ts

• Avoid using a line or area chart for displaying skills
• Avoid using overly complex charts or ornamental design elements that aren’t used to convey information
• Avoid creating a never ending scrolling infographic
• Avoid using more than 3 colors in your design

The takeaway: top resume design ideas

Keep these resume design ideas in mind when overhauling your CV:

• Use a basic resume template if you need help condensing information

That’s all the resume design tips I have for you today! Hopefully, some of these templates and tips will help you find the perfect job in the future.

And if you’re a hiring manager, don’t forget to check out top recruiting tips from 10 HR experts.

Sources for Infographic:

Ryan Moore, Director of Client Management at  PeakSales Recruiting

Jennifer Rogerson, Head of HR at  Best Company

Charlette Beasley, Career and Workplace Analyst at  FitSmallBusiness.com

Peter Yang, Chief Executive Officer at  ResumeGo

Ed Moss, Hiring Manager at  Angel List

Nate Richardson, Search Engine Optimization Analyst at  BambooHR

Joanna Zambas, CV Specialist and Career Expert at  CareerAddict

Iris De Geest, Content Marketer at  Survey Anyplace

Anja Zojčeska, Recruitment Marketing Specialist at  TalentLyft

Samuel Johns HR Specialist and Hiring Manager  Resume Genius

Need some more resume design examples or cover letter suggestions? Start with these two articles:

• 20+ Infographic Resume Templates and Design Tips
• 20+ Creative Cover Letter Template Design

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Resume Design: Trends and Tips for a Winning Resume in 2024

As a job seeker, you may wonder why the design of your resume matters. After all, isn’t the content what really counts? While the content is definitely important, the design of your resume can also make a big difference in catching the attention of potential employers.

Think of your resume as your personal marketing tool. It’s your chance to showcase your skills and achievements to potential employers and convince them that you’re the right fit for the job. A well-designed resume can help you stand out from the competition, demonstrate your professionalism, and leave a lasting impression on recruiters and hiring managers.

In this article, we’ll explore the latest trends in resume design and provide tips on how to create a winning resume that will help you land your dream job. From choosing the right format to using the right fonts and colors, we’ll cover all the basics of resume design, as well as more advanced techniques for creating a resume that truly stands out. So whether you’re just starting out in your career, or you’re a seasoned professional looking for a new challenge, read on to learn how to create a resume that will get you noticed.

Current Trending Resume Designs

In order to stand out in a sea of job applicants, it is essential to have a resume that not only showcases your skills and qualifications, but also captures the attention of your potential employer. Here are some current resume design trends that can achieve just that.

Incorporating Infographic Design

Infographic resumes have been trending for quite some time now, and for good reason. They provide an aesthetically pleasing visualization of your professional accomplishments and skills. Infographics can be customized to reflect your personal brand, and can help you showcase your strengths in a way that’s easy to understand and digest. However, it’s important to remember that infographics should not overshadow your actual qualifications and experience. While it can enhance the appeal of your resume, the content must remain the priority.

Using Colors Effectively

Colors have the power to evoke certain emotions and associations, and a well-chosen color scheme can make a huge difference in how your resume is received. When using colors, keep in mind the type of job you’re applying for and the industry it’s in. For example, subtle blues and greens work well for corporate jobs, while vibrant colors could be more suitable for a creative field. But be cautious not to overdo it – too many colors can be distracting and take away from the content. Use colors to highlight key information and create hierarchy, but don’t let them overshadow the actual content.

Tailoring Resumes to Specific Job Applications

It’s no secret that employers are looking for candidates who are the perfect match for the job requirements. Therefore, it’s crucial to tailor your resume to the specific job application you’re applying for. This means doing research on the company and job posting, and identifying the skills and experience that they’re seeking. Incorporate relevant keywords and phrases throughout your resume, and highlight your accomplishments and experience that directly align with what they’re looking for. It’s important to remember that not all jobs are created equal, and a one-size-fits-all approach to resume writing won’t cut it.

Incorporating infographic design, using colors effectively, and tailoring your resume to specific job applications are all current resume design trends that can help your resume stand out from the pack. However, it’s important to always prioritize the actual content of your resume over design elements. A visually appealing resume is useless if it doesn’t effectively communicate your qualifications and experience. By combining both exceptional content and design, you can have a winning resume that will impress potential employers.

The Importance of an ATS-Friendly Resume

Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are software programs used by recruiters and hiring managers to screen and filter resumes. The primary function of an ATS is to automate the recruitment process, making it easier for recruiters to manage large volumes of resumes efficiently. The software program scans resumes for specific keywords, skills, and experience, and ranks them based on how closely they match the job description.

An ATS-friendly resume is essential for job seekers because it increases their chances of getting noticed by recruiters. An ATS-friendly resume should be designed, keeping in mind the specific requirements of the software. Here are some tips for creating an ATS-friendly resume:

Use Relevant Keywords: Use keywords that are specific to the job you are applying for. Identify the most critical requirements of the job and use relevant keywords and phrases throughout your resume.

Optimize Formatting: Use a simple and standard resume format with clean sections and headings that are easy to read. Avoid images, graphics, or other formatting elements that can cause the ATS to reject your resume.

Use Simple Language: Avoid using complex words or technical terms. Use simple language that is easy to comprehend by both humans and ATS.

Use Appropriate File Type: Save your resume in a file format that is compatible with the ATS. The preferred file format for ATS is .doc or .docx.

Customize Your Resume: Tailor your resume to the job you are applying for. Study the job description and highlight the skills and experience that match the job requirements.

Creating an ATS-friendly resume can be challenging, but it is essential to increase your chances of getting noticed by recruiters. By following the tips mentioned above, you can ensure that your resume makes it past the ATS and into the hands of recruiters. Remember, an ATS-friendly resume is the first step towards landing your dream job.

Designing for Readability

A winning resume needs to be not only visually appealing but also easy to read. Achieving readability is crucial because it can make or break an employer’s first impression of you. To help you design a readable resume, we have outlined some essential tips below:

Choosing Appropriate Fonts

One of the most crucial elements of resume design is font selection. The font you choose can significantly impact the readability and overall appearance of your resume. Therefore, you should choose a font that is professional and easy to read.

Some of the most popular and reliable fonts to use in your resume include Calibri, Arial, Times New Roman, and Helvetica. However, you don’t necessarily have to stick to these. You can use other fonts, as long as they are easy to read and don’t distract from the content.

Formatting for Ease of Reading

Another crucial element to consider when designing a readable resume is formatting. You want to make sure that your resume is easy on the eyes and easy to follow. Thus, you should use a consistent format throughout the resume, including headings, bullet points, and spacing.

When formatting your resume, make sure to pay attention to the hierarchy of headings and subheadings. Use larger font sizes and bolding to highlight section headers, and use different font sizes and colors to distinguish subheadings and body text.

Also, avoid using complicated layouts or designs that can make it hard to follow the information presented. Stick to a clean, organized layout that emphasizes the essential information.

Utilizing White Space

White space, also known as negative space, is the area surrounding elements in your resume that is left blank. It might not seem important, but utilizing white space can significantly enhance your resume’s readability.

By increasing the amount of white space in your resume, you allow your content to breathe, making it easier to read and understand. Therefore, avoid crowding your resume with too much text or graphics.

You can also use white space to group related content together, making it easier to parse essential information.

Designing a readable resume can make a significant difference in your job search success. By choosing appropriate fonts, formatting for ease of reading, and utilizing white space, you can present your skills and experience clearly and effectively in a professional format.

Customizing Your Resume to Your Industry

When it comes to crafting the perfect resume, customization is key. This is especially true when targeting a specific industry. Different industries require different resume designs to effectively showcase your skills and qualifications. Here are some examples of how various industries may require a tailored approach to your resume:

Professionals in the creative industry, such as graphic designers or writers, need to showcase their creativity and design skills. A visually appealing, yet simple, resume with a clean layout and carefully chosen fonts can help stand out in a highly competitive field.

Sales professionals need a resume that showcases their achievements and abilities to close deals. Consider using numbers and statistics to highlight your track record of success. A resume with a bold, concise design can make a great first impression.

Engineering

Engineers need to demonstrate their technical abilities along with their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Presenting technical achievements and project experience in a clear and concise format can help make a strong impression.

In the healthcare industry, technical skills and certifications are crucial. Resumes should clearly highlight areas of specialization and medical expertise to showcase qualifications relevant for the position.

For any industry you are targeting, it is important to research and understand the job application expectations. Here are some tips for researching relevant information:

Check job postings

Read job listings carefully to understand what skills, experience and education requirements are needed for the position.

Investigate company websites

Research company websites to learn about their mission, values, and culture. This can help tailor your resume to fit their specific needs.

Connect with industry professionals

Networking with people in your desired industry can provide valuable insights and advice on what employers are looking for. Attend industry events or join relevant professional organizations to make connections.

Creating a well-designed resume requires more than just aesthetics. Customizing your resume to your industry can significantly improve your chances of standing out from other applicants. By researching job application expectations and crafting a resume pertinent to the industry, you can make a lasting impression on potential employers.

The Role of Keywords in Your Design

In today’s job market, creating a standout resume requires more than just a polished design and strong content. To catch the eye of hiring managers and land your dream job, your resume must also be optimized for search engines. This is where keywords come in.

Identifying Appropriate Keywords

The first step in incorporating keywords into your resume is identifying the most appropriate keywords for your industry and job application. These are the words and phrases that employers and recruiters use when they search for resumes in their applicant tracking systems (ATS).

To identify appropriate keywords, start by analyzing the job description and requirements carefully. Look for specific skills, experiences, and qualifications that the employer is seeking. These should be your primary keywords.

You can also look at industry-specific jargon and acronyms that are commonly used in your field. Including these in your resume not only helps with searchability but also shows that you are knowledgeable about your industry.

Incorporating Keywords Effectively

Once you have identified your keywords, the next step is to incorporate them into your resume effectively. This means using them naturally and strategically throughout your content.

One effective strategy is to incorporate keywords in your summary, experience section, and skills sections. For example, if ‘project management’ is a primary keyword, use it in your summary to highlight your experience in this area. In your experience section, include relevant keywords for each job or project you have worked on.

It’s important to note that stuffing your resume with keywords can actually hurt your chances of getting hired. These days, ATS systems are smart enough to detect keyword stuffing and may even reject your resume for this reason. So, only use keywords where relevant and necessary.

Boosting Searchability Through Keyword Selection

Keyword selection can make or break your searchability. It’s important to choose the right keywords to ensure that your resume is visible to the right people.

One way to boost searchability is to use a mix of general and specific keywords. General keywords are broad terms that describe your industry or job function, such as ‘marketing’ or ‘consulting’. Specific keywords, on the other hand, are more focused and relate to your skills, experiences, or achievements.

Another way to boost searchability is to tailor your keywords to the specific job you’re applying for. This means adjusting your keywords based on the job description and requirements to make sure you’re a good fit for the role.

Incorporating keywords into your resume is essential for increasing your searchability and standing out to potential employers. By identifying appropriate keywords, incorporating them effectively, and selecting the right mix of general and specific keywords, you can give yourself the best chance of landing your dream job.

Samples & Examples of Successful Resume Design

The previous sections have outlined the latest trends and tips for designing a winning resume. But what does a successful resume design look like in real-life examples? Let’s take a look at some recent designs that have left a lasting impression.

Real-life examples of successful designs

Mona Chalabi’s resume design  – Mona Chalabi, a journalist and editor at The Guardian, creates visually appealing and interactive data visualizations on her resume. Her design showcases her strong data visualization skills and adds a unique touch to a traditional CV.

Dan Pochowski’s resume design  – Dan Pochowski’s resume, which landed him a job at Google, is a great example of how minimalism and simplicity can make a lasting impact. His design is clean, easy-to-read, and emphasizes his key skills and experiences.

Sophie Mah’s infographic resume design  – As a digital marketer, Sophie Mah created an infographic-style resume that stands out from the traditional text-heavy format. Her use of color, icons, and visual storytelling makes her resume memorable and engaging.

Explanation of the impact of their designs

So, what made these resume designs successful? For Mona Chalabi, her use of data visualizations not only showcases her skills but also adds an interactive element to her CV. This type of approach works exceptionally well if you are in a field that relies heavily on data and analytics.

Dan Pochowski’s design has a strong impact due to its simplicity – it is easy to read, highlights his key information, and is visually appealing. For job seekers targeting companies like Google, where innovative and creative thinking is valued, this type of approach can increase their chances of being noticed.

Sophie Mah’s infographic design showcases her creativity and marketing skills. It is effective for digital marketers and creative jobs, where attention to detail and visual storytelling skills are critical.

CV vs. Resume: Is There a Difference in Design?

When it comes to job applications, many people often use the terms “CV” (Curriculum Vitae) and “resume” interchangeably. However, the truth is that they are not one and the same. While both documents serve the same purpose of showcasing your qualifications and work experience to a potential employer, there are key differences between the two.

A CV is generally a more comprehensive document that includes academic achievements, publications, presentations, and other accomplishments in addition to work experience. It is typically used in academic and research settings, as well as for job applications outside of the United States.

On the other hand, a resume is a more concise document that focuses primarily on work experience and skills relevant to the job you are applying for. It is the standard document used in the United States for job applications.

Given these differences, it is important to consider specific design considerations when creating each document:

CV Design Considerations

As mentioned, a CV is a more comprehensive document that includes additional sections beyond work experience. When designing a CV, consider the following:

CVs tend to be longer than resumes, often clocking in at multiple pages. However, it is important to keep the document concise by structuring information in a clear and logical manner.

Formatting:

Since there is typically more information in a CV, it is important to structure the document in a way that is easy to digest. Bullet points and clear section headers can help with this.

Emphasis on Academic Achievements:

Given that a CV is often used for academic purposes, including academic achievements and publications is crucial. Designing the document in a way that highlights these accomplishments can be beneficial.

Resume Design Considerations

Resumes tend to be more focused on work experience, skills, and achievements relevant to a specific job. When designing a resume, consider the following:

Unlike a CV, a resume should generally be limited to one or two pages. This means that you need to be selective about the information you include, prioritizing the most relevant and impactful details.

To make your resume visually appealing and easy to read, consider using white space, clear headings, and bullet points. Additionally, be consistent with font choices and keep the document free of errors or typos.

Creative Elements:

In some cases, you may want to incorporate creative elements (such as color or graphics) to make your resume stand out. However, it is important to strike a balance between creativity and professionalism. It’s also important to keep in mind that in some industries, such as finance or law, more traditional and conservative design choices may be appropriate.

While both a CV and a resume serve the same purpose of showcasing your qualifications to a potential employer, there are key differences between the two that should be taken into account when designing each document.

Tips for Designing for Digital Review

As job applications continue to move towards digital submission, it’s increasingly important to design a resume that is optimized for online viewing. Here are some tips for creating a design that stands out online:

Consider the prevalence of digital submission

Many companies use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to screen resumes before they are even seen by a human. These systems scan resumes for specific keywords and phrases related to the job posting. To make sure your resume gets past the ATS, consider using keywords and phrases from the job posting in your resume.

Use simple, clean design

When it comes to designing for digital review, less is more. A cluttered, busy resume can be difficult to read on a screen. Instead, opt for a clean, simple design that is easy on the eyes. Use plenty of white space and stick to one or two fonts to ensure your resume is easy to navigate.

Make sure your resume is mobile-friendly

More and more job seekers are using mobile devices to browse and apply for jobs. Make sure your resume is optimized for mobile by keeping the design simple and avoiding any elements that may not render correctly on a smaller screen.

Use visuals strategically

While visuals can be a great way to create a unique and memorable resume, they can also be tricky when it comes to digital review. If you do incorporate visuals, make sure they are optimized for online viewing and that they enhance rather than distract from your content.

Use keywords in your file name

When saving your resume, consider using keywords from the job posting in your file name. This can help your resume stand out in a digital sea of generic file names like “Resume.pdf.”

By taking these tips into consideration, you can design a resume that not only looks great on paper, but also stands out online in a crowded digital landscape.

Common Pitfalls in Resume Design

When it comes to designing a resume, it’s crucial to avoid common pitfalls that can easily turn off potential employers. Here are some examples of common mistakes people make when designing their resumes, and tips for avoiding them.

Mistake #1: Being too verbose

One of the most common pitfalls in resume design is being too verbose. Many applicants try to include as much information as they can, resulting in a long, dense block of text that is difficult to read. This is a mistake because hiring managers don’t have the time to read through every single detail.

Tip:  Keep your resume succinct and to the point. Use bullet points and short descriptions to highlight your achievements and skills.

Mistake #2: Lacking clarity

Another mistake job seekers make is failing to provide clarity in their resume design. This can be due to poor formatting, lack of headings and subheadings, and excessive use of fonts and colors.

Tip:  Use a simple, easy-to-read font and stick to a consistent format. Use headings and subheadings to break up the text and make it easier for hiring managers to skim through.

Mistake #3: Focusing on tasks rather than achievements

Another common mistake is focusing too much on job duties and not enough on achievements. Hiring managers want to see how you have contributed to your previous companies, not just what you were responsible for.

Tip:  Emphasize your achievements and contributions in each job rather than just listing job duties. Use quantifiable metrics to demonstrate your impact.

Mistake #4: Including irrelevant information

Finally, including irrelevant information on your resume can be a turn-off for employers. This can include outdated or irrelevant skills, personal information, or even too much fluff.

Tip:  Only include the most relevant and recent experience and skills that pertain to the job you are applying for. Leave out personal information like your age, religion, or marital status.

By avoiding these common pitfalls, you can create a winning resume that catches the eye of potential employers and lands you the job you want. Remember to keep it clear, concise, and focused on your achievements and contributions.

Maximizing the Impact of Your Design

As a job seeker, your resume is your personal marketing tool. It represents your skills, experience, and expertise to potential employers. To make sure your resume stands out from the others, you need to ensure that your design is making the biggest impact possible.

Here are some tips and tricks for maximizing the impact of your resume design:

Keep it Simple

While some creativity and uniqueness are often appreciated, keep in mind that design should never overpower the content of your resume. Overly complex designs can detract from the substance of your resume and make you appear less professional. Keep your resume clean, simple, and easy to read.

Be Consistent

The design of your resume needs to be consistent throughout. Use the same fonts, spacing, and formatting for all sections, including headings, subheadings, and body text. This helps to create a visual hierarchy and makes it easier for employers to navigate your resume.

Use Color Sparingly

Color can be effective when used sparingly to highlight specific information, such as company names or job titles. However, too much color can be overwhelming and off-putting. Additionally, many employers print resumes in black and white, so overusing color risks leaving important details unreadable.

Highlight Your Accomplishments

Your resume should highlight your accomplishments and skills. You can do this by using bullet points to describe your past experiences and accomplishments. Use bold or italics to draw attention to these achievements and help them stand out.

Choose the Right Fonts

The fonts you choose play a big role in the overall look and feel of your resume. Select a font that is easy to read and doesn’t distract from your content. Stick to classic fonts such as Arial, Times New Roman, or Calibri to ensure that your text is easily legible.

While design is an essential part of creating a winning resume, it’s important not to overdo it. Simplicity, consistency, and readability are key when designing a resume that commands attention. By utilizing these tips, you can create a visually appealing resume that communicates your expertise effectively.

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6 Resume Design Tips and Examples

Having a well-designed resume is important, whether you’re applying for a side hustle or a full-time job. A good design will attract the interest of recruiters and encourage them to keep reading, thereby increasing your chances of getting shortlisted for the role.

If you have mediocre design skills, it can be difficult to design your own resume. To help you get started, here are some tips to help you out.

1. Stay Organized with Columns

Organize relevant information into clear and separate columns. Dedicate separate sections for education, work experience, and contact information. That way, agents and recruiters can seamlessly evaluate your resume and pick out relevant information.

For example, this resume template from Indeed has separate areas dedicated to work experience, skills, and education.

2. Have a Consistent Color Scheme

Simplicity is beauty when it comes to resume design.

To make your application more appealing, pick two to three eye-catching background colors which look great together. Feel free to pick any color you want, as long as the text is still readable.

For example, this Yellow and Black resume template from Canva is beautiful despite the minimalist vibe. The font colors contrast well with the background, so the text is comprehensible.

3. Use a Professional Photo

First impressions matter, especially when it comes to job applications. You’ll want to be perceived as qualified or competent, and a professional photo helps establish that. If you lack photography skills, hire a professional photographer to take your photo. This small investment will pay off in the long run once you manage to get a job.

Consider this professional resume template from Canva, which draws readers to the professional photo at first glance.

4. Choose a Readable Font

Complex or fancy fonts can showcase your personality. However, they’re not worth it if your resume becomes difficult to read.

The rule of thumb is to stick to sans serif fonts because of their high readability. Some of the most popular options are Arial, Calibri, Cambria, Didot, Garamond, and Times New Roman.

This Plateau template from Rezumeet applied an Arial font. In addition, important highlights such as the job title, school name, and company name are in bold so recruiters can spot it in an instant.

5. Create a Skills Section

These days recruiters look for candidates with technical skills such as photography, video editing , or social media management. They may also be looking for applicants proficient in using specific software such as Adobe Photoshop or fluency in programming languages like Java.

A resume without this information may be ignored over other applications which highlight these skills. To solve this dilemma, include a skills section that communicates the skills you have.

Here’s an example from Venngage :

Not sure about which skills to include? List down the common skills recruiters want in the positions you’re applying for. Chances are, these are the in-demand skill sets that other recruiters are also searching for.

6. Experiment with Various Designs and Formats

There’s no need to stick to just one specific resume design or template. Try to experiment with various resume designs and formats.

Recruiters in a specific industry may be biased or responsive towards a particular format. When you notice a specific resume design or template is helping you get more invitations for interviews, then stick to that option.

How Will You Design Your Resume?

There is no right or wrong way to design your resume. Even with a minimalist design and a professional-looking format, your application can stand out to managers and HR personnel.

Those lacking the confidence to design their own resume can opt for Fiverr resume designers . Our experts can create eye-catching resumes which will make your profile stand out from the pack.

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Ultimate Guide to Resume Design: 21+ Inspiring Examples From an Award-Winning Resume Writer

Does your resume design matter? Does the visual look of your resume really make a difference?

The answer is a resounding YES.

We all know the saying that “you never get a second chance to make a first impression.” And although the numbers vary from milliseconds to 30 seconds, research backs this up . As a benchmark, it is fair to say the people we meet form an opinion of us within 7 to 15 seconds.

And guess what? According to some research, appearance alone is responsible for the vast majority of that first impression—as much as 70% or even more.

We all know that we shouldn’t “judge a book by its cover,” but like it or not, that is precisely what we all do. Appearance does matter!

So, consider this: your resume is the cover of the book that is you. It is your calling card. Most prospective employers and recruiters will see your resume before meeting you in person.

Your resume creates the first impression formed of you.

So let me ask you…which of these example resumes do you think will makes the better first impression on hiring managers? The content is exactly the same. The professional resume design is the only difference.

Yes, the words on your resume matter. They matter a great deal. Your resume needs to tell a compelling and memorable story of the value you offer your employers, and it needs to be filled with the keywords that are so important in applicant tracking systems .

But, before the recipient of your resume is drawn in by the words , you must capture their attention with the visual appeal of your resume design.

In these ways, an appealing, modern resume design is vitally important. The words on your resume won’t matter if the recipient never even gets to them because your resume design is so unappealing they just moved on to the next resume.

How To Improve Your Resume Design

The good news is that through attention to your resume design, you have control over the first impression that your modern resume makes.

The best option is to work with a resume-writing expert who is also an expert on professional resume design. But not only does the resume consultant need to be an expert in these two areas, they also need expertise on how the design of a creative resume interacts with applicant tracking systems (ATS).

Because if writing and designing a resume for a human reader wasn’t complicated enough, your resume design needs to “play well” with the electronic systems that recruiters and hiring managers use to track applicants through the hiring process. If it does not, potential employers may never even see your resume.

These are HUGE shoes to fill, and the unfortunate truth is that it is nearly impossible to find a resume writer who is also a professional designer and also an ATS expert.

Get Expert Help With Your Professional Resume

At Distinctive Career Services , our solution is to find and hire the best-trained, most highly accomplished professional resume writers and then supply them with hundreds of professionally designed, ATS-friendly, easily customized resume design templates .

This cutting-edge process allows us to deliver unfailing excellence to our clients, producing unique yet powerful, compelling, eye-catching, and ATS-friendly resumes .

Our resume writing team can focus on crafting the most powerful and persuasive prose to tell the career stories of our clients. Then they choose the best resume design to serve as the foundation for the resume.

In other words, they look for the best resume design template that offers the resume format and the resume layout that is the best fit for their vision for that client.

We have professional resume template options in all different styles. So whether they are looking for a traditional resume, a reverse chronological resume, a combination resume, or a functional resume to serve as a resume builder foundation, they have multiple options to choose from.

Then, they customize the design of that resume template, changing the colors and tailoring the resume sections to create a unique resume for each job seeker client that allows them to put their best foot forward with a resume that is guaranteed to get the hiring manager’s eye.

Is Using a Resume Template the Best Solution for a DIY Job Seeker?

As a job seeker, if you have updated resume content that you are happy with, using a resume template to modernize your resume design is an option. The best resume design templates will allow you to just copy and paste your resume content into the right spots. It can be a fast and easy way to give your resume a facelift before you apply for your dream job .

Unfortunately, most resume templates are inflexible and impossible to customize , and many aren’t even ATS-friendly (so buyer beware!). A poorly designed resume can do your job search more harm than good.

So make sure you are getting your resume template from a reputable and expert source. If you DO decide to go the DIY route and use a resume template to enhance your resume design, you can feel completely confident using any of the Distinctive Resume Templates .

Here are a few inspiring resume design template examples:

Example Resume Template for Engineering Professionals

Example Resume Template for Film & Entertainment Industries

Resume Template for Preschool Teachers & Childcare Providers

Example Resume Template for Nurses & Healthcare Providers

Resume Template for International Business Leaders

Example Modern Resume Template for Executives

More Resume Design Tips

While striving for eye appeal to make your resume pop and improve its first impression is enough reason to put extra time and attention into your resume design, there are other reasons to focus on design as well.

As marketing pros know, color and page design improve marketing results. Consider these statistics from marketing research:

50% of the human brain is devoted to visual processing .

The human brain processes images 60,000x faster than text.

93% of consumers indicate that the visual appearance of a product influences their purchase more than anything else, and 85% say color is a primary deciding factor.

People are 42% more likely to read an ad in color than the same ad in black and white.

Color increases people’s willingness to read by 40% and improves reading comprehension by as much as 73%.

Color increases brand recognition by 80% and makes an impression that is 39% more memorable.

An image shown in color will hold attention for more than 2 seconds, while the same image in black and white will hold it for less than 2/3 of a second.

Blog posts with images attract 94% more engagement than text-only blog posts.

The good use of white space between paragraphs and in the left and right margins increases reader comprehension by 20%.

Using color to highlight info on a page improves the ability of the reader to pick out important information 39% faster than just using different font styles like bolding or italics.

People are 35% more likely to finish reading an article that uses color rather than just black text.

Remember: your resume is a self-marketing document, and all these statistics apply to your resume as much as they apply to a marketing flyer. Here are some ways you can use this research to enhance your own resume.

Using Color on Your Resume

If your resume’s appearance is dull and you are looking to fix your resume ‘s eye appeal, using color is the often first and easiest change to improve visual interest. But just because applying color to your resume is easy doesn’t mean you don’t need to consider it carefully.

Colors have meanings, and your color choices have consequences.

You can use color to make your resume stand out and help convey and reinforce the right brand image . However, if you do so randomly without any strategic thought, it might have the opposite effect, giving the hiring manager a negative impression.

Color has powerful effects on our perception. On resumes, it can impact the first impression the document makes before the recipient even reads about you.

Select colors that reflect who you are and that will help tell the story of your career.

Red, for example, might not be the best choice for an accountant. Green would be perfect, though. Pink or other pastels might be the ideal choice for a preschool teacher but a terrible choice for a software engineer. Let your job history, job search objectives, and personality guide you.

A few popular color choices that you might consider for your resume design include:

Shades of blue. Blue is the color of the sky and the ocean and is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, competence, and responsibility.

Shades of green. Green is the color of nature and is often associated with growth, harmony, revitalization, freshness, safety, fertility, and the environment. It also symbolizes money.

Shades of purple. Purple is the color of royalty and often symbolizes power, luxury, wealth, and extravagance.

Shades of orange. Orange is the color of joy and enthusiasm and often symbolizes energy, balance, warmth, confidence, enthusiasm, creativity, and success.

Shades of brown. Brown is the color of the earth and is often associated with stability, structure, support, and dependability.

And finally, don’t forget about blacks and grays, as these often look striking when paired with other brighter colors. Gray is a conservative color often associated with intelligence, formalities, business, conventionality, and maturity. Black is often associated with power, elegance, and sophistication.

Also, remember that color can emphasize or de-emphasize areas of your resume. For example, you might use a light color for the background with darker shades for the text and headings to make them stand out more.

Or you might use a dark color for the background with lighter shades for the text and headings to make a more sophisticated or sleek resume design.

Just be careful not to go overboard. Too much color can be just as bad as too little. The key is to use color in a tasteful, appropriate, and strategic way.

Some resume designs that use color very well include:

Resume Design & Color Example 1

Shades of purple, green, and blue work well in this resume design for an executive coach

Resume Design & Color Example 2

Dark blue is striking color choice for the design of this executive board resume

Resume Design & Color Example 3

Oranges and reds aren't right for everyone, but they are perfect for this solar industry resume

Resume Design & Color Example 4

Dark jewel tones of purple, green, blue, and red make this resume for a technology consultant stand out

Resume Design & Color Example 5

Dark browns and golds are an excellent resume design choice for this international business executive

Resume Design & Color Example 6

Blues and reds are an eye-catching power choice for this executive resume design

Incorporating Charts and Graphs into Your Resume Design

Numbers can be dry and boring to read, but if you want your professional results highlighted , consider presenting them graphically. There’s no better way of showing that there has been an improvement than through a chart or graphs!

You might have heard the term “ infographic resume .” While these visually interesting one-page documents have become quite popular as a complement to longer, more detailed traditional resumes , an infographic resume doesn’t replace the need for a traditional resume. But you can dramatically improve the visual interest of your professional resume design by incorporating a select few infographic elements.

With Microsoft Word’s powerful tools for creating these images in just seconds flat, it will take less time than ever to get creative with how you present your accomplishments .

Here are some examples from resumes we have written for our clients:

Using SmartArt & Other Design Tools in Your Creative Resume Design

Using the Shapes and SmartArt features in Microsoft Word is another easy way to create all sorts of graphical elements to serve as visual representation of your qualifications.

The defaults offered in Word are highly customizable to showcase whatever information you want to showcase.

Callout boxes are another way to draw attention to crucial information. Microsoft Word’s Text Box feature can be used for this or depending on the layout, you can use a single-cell table. This is a great technique to showcase signature accomplishments , a personal branding statement , or even a quote from a reference letter . Some examples:

Do be aware that when your resume is “fed” into an applicant tracking system (ATS) , any text that you’ve entered into these graphics will be unreadable and won’t benefit you in keyword searches .

Most modern ATS will ignore the graphics. This is a positive because it allows you great creativity with your resume design. Just make sure you repeat any important keywords in the graphics within the resume’s body.

Make Sure Your Resume is Easy for the Hiring Manager to Read

White space is the negative space around text and design elements. It helps organize the content of your resume, helps direct the reader, and helps focus attention.

While it might seem obvious, many job seekers skip this design consideration.

Here are some tips for using white space effectively in your resume .

First, use larger margins. Resume margins are usually 1,” but it is acceptable to go as low as .7″. This will help give your resume a more spacious look and feel, which is easier on the eyes.

When writing your resume , try not to include any blocks of text longer than five lines. Three are even better. Break up longer paragraphs into smaller ones.

Bullet points are wonderful for drawing the eye to key accomplishments but don’t go overboard and bullet everything. If everything is bulleted, you will defeat the purpose, and nothing will stand out.

Include space between bullets and text sections to help make them even easier to read.

Finally, use built-in white space features like tab stops and indents to create visual hierarchy and organization.

Fonts Are Important Too

Use fonts that are easy to read and common on most computer systems. If you use an uncommon font, and the person on the receiving end doesn’t have the font, when they open your resume their computer will often make a substitution–sometimes with a devastating effect on your resume design and layout.

Calibri, Tahoma, and Verdana are all excellent sans serif fonts. If you’d prefer serif fonts, try Cambria or Georgia.

Don’t get too creative here. As already mentioned, the wrong font can cause serious problems.

Using more than two fonts in your resume isn’t recommended either.

You may use one font for both text and headings (increase the font size for the headings). Or, try a serif font for headings and a sans serif font for the body text.

Final Considerations

Finally, remember that too much of a good thing can be bad. Inappropriately or excessively applied design can make your resume look gaudy or flashy. This is not the first impression you want to make. Think strategically and have a reason for your design choices.

And, before you submit your job application , remember that submitting a cover letter written to show the hiring manager exactly how you have the relevant skills and are the best candidate for the job description is always smart.

As you craft your cover letter , to make a really professional first impression on the hiring manager, match the design to your resume. All of the resume design templates in the Distinctive Resume Templates portfolio include a matching letterhead to be used for cover letters and other job search correspondence.

After reading this article, if you still need ideas for cool resume designs, you can find even more inspiration for modern resume designs in our resume examples portfolio .

And, if you are feeling overwhelmed , as stated at the beginning of this article, working with a professional resume writer is always an excellent investment. You do not need to go it alone! Book a free resume writing consultation with us to learn more about how we can help you.

About the Author: Michelle Dumas

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How to Write a Resume That Stands Out

You finally found it! The perfect job for you. Now, all you have to do to get the process started is to submit your resume. The problem is that hundreds of your peers are probably thinking exactly the same thing. How do you stand out?

You finally found it! The perfect job for you. Now, all you have to do to get the process started is to submit your resume. The problem is that hundreds or even thousands of your peers are probably thinking exactly the same thing about exactly the same job. So how do you create a one-page document that will make you and your accomplishments stand out from the crowd?

Your resume is a key part of the job application process: it is the first document that an employer reviews to determine whether they will interview and eventually employ you. Remember that employers often have very limited time to perform this duty. Crafting a strong resume really matters!

Resumes communicate who you are and what you have accomplished. They may be the only document an employer sees to evaluate your record before making a decision to move forward with your application, or they may be used in conjunction with resources like LinkedIn or professional networking profiles and/or a cover letter. A resume that “stands out” in a positive way is one that has been written thoughtfully, clearly and concisely, effectively communicating your abilities and strengths in a very brief space.

Six basic tips will help you build an outstanding professional resume. Note that resumes may vary by professional field (e.g. engineering vs. non-engineering), by location or by other factors such as professional degree. These tips are designed around some of the most common sections and most useful points for resumes across different types.

Tip 1: How to Write an Education Section that Stands Out

The education section demonstrates that you have the academic qualifications for the position. The key questions you should ask yourself while writing this section is, “Have I clearly communicated the strongest and most relevant aspects of my educational experience?” The next question is, “Is this section organized in a way that is easily readable by the employer?”

The education section is important for all applicants but may be weighted differently depending on how long it has been since you graduated from a degree program. For instance, an employer may have a different level of interest in the educational history of a college senior, compared to someone who has been professionally working for several years after college. Understanding this fact may influence where you choose to place this section on your resume.

In general, you should include all of the higher education that you may have had, including undergraduate, graduate, or professional schooling.  You may also consider including online courses, certificates, and completed programs through companies like Coursera. Most people list their experiences in an order called reverse chronological, meaning that they list the most recent experience first, and work backwards down the page.

For each listed school, provide the full name of the school or online program, the years of your attendance, your major or majors, if applicable, as well as a minor if applicable. Include the type of degree received (e.g. a Bachelor of Arts or Master of Science) and the year of graduation. If you are graduating soon, include the month and year of graduation so employers know when you will be available to work. If you have studied abroad, include the institution, program of study, and any relevant coursework.

You may want to include which semesters you qualified for special academic recognition, if any.  Other special awards, scholarships, or competitive grants can also be listed in this section. If you have non-academic awards, such as for sports or community service, you may choose to create a separate section of your resume for honors and awards.

Tip 2: How to Make the Experience Section Stand Out

Along with education, your experience is one of the most important ways to show that you are qualified for a position. Use this section to clearly convey your strongest professional experiences, whether paid or unpaid. Be sure to give detailed aspects of your roles and responsibilities for each listed position. Emphasize any relationships or similarities between your past experiences and the job you want. You should also include the start and end dates of your involvement with each organization, and any key accomplishments from the role. Don’t forget to include where the company is located, including city and state/province, or even country if different from your home country.

Ask yourself: while involved with the company, did I win any awards, get any special recognition, make new discoveries, start a new program? If so, what happened and what were the results? Quantify your experiences when you can! As the expression goes, “Show don’t tell.” In other words, you can more effectively convey a point by giving concrete examples, rather than through vague descriptions. Consider the following examples.

Instead of:

Improved worker productivity significantly, leading to recognition from upper management.

(A resume reader may ask: What does ‘improved’ mean? What does recognition mean? How much have you improved it by?)

Improved quarter returns by 25%, exceeding projections and leading to the Top Manager Award, given to only one manager in the company per year.

When it comes to language, be honest about your job functions while thinking of professional ways to present your experiences.

Sometimes people fall into a trap of thinking that their job or internship experience won’t sound impressive enough to list. The job may have felt like “sitting at a desk, answering the phone.” True, but you may have been performing other responsibilities or developing useful job-related skills without realizing that you were!

When you were at a desk, were you at the FRONT desk? Were you the only person or the main person in this position? Were you overseeing anything while you were sitting there? Were you the sole person responsible for any tasks? Did you have to learn how to deal calmly and confidently with any customer issues? Did people occasionally ask you to take on additional responsibilities, even for a short time?

It is fair to say that a person sitting at a front desk, may have been MANAGING the front desk, or even managing the desk when the person’s boss was away. Time during which an individual is placed in charge of a business or an office, even if for a limited time, can convey responsibility to a prospective employer.

Look at your accomplishment bullet and ask yourself:

• What did I do in the job?
• Using what?
• To what extent or impact?

Sometimes you may need to pare down your list in order to avoid making your resume too lengthy. Try to select the accomplishments based partly on how impressive they are and partly on how well they relate to the position you want. To describe your experience, always use more than one sentence or bullet. That said, word economy in your bulleted descriptions is also important. Try to keep each bulleted description or sentence to one or two lines at most. You can often rephrase a description, eliminating words while keeping the meaning. The more information you can present clearly and concisely within the short resume format, the more the employer will understand what you can do for them.

Remember that by providing relevant details in each statement of your experience, you will give the employer enough information to evaluate you and also provide them with ideas of what they might want to discuss with you in an interview.

Tip 3: How to Create a Leadership and Activities Section that Stands Out

For many people, especially students and recent graduates, a Leadership & Activities section can be a fantastic differentiator for your resume. If you have not been in the workforce for long, or if you have only worked summers and part-time, then you may not have much relevant content to add to your Experience section. A strong Leadership & Activities section can help you fill that gap while also telling an employer something about you as a person.

When creating the section, you should first consider what student organizations and activities you would want to include. Then, you should consider what you would want to write about each one. In general, this section is much like the Experience section, except that it is about what you have done in a personal, rather than professional, setting.

Of course, because student organizations and activities are personal, you should be careful about which ones you choose to list; they should be appropriate to a professional setting. For example, you should probably not choose to share that you were chosen “Top Drinker” of your college’s “Beer Keg of the Day” club. On the other hand, if you volunteered at a food bank, wrote for a school publication, or had a membership in an honor society, those accomplishments would be worth sharing.

Most importantly, you should include student organizations and activities where you have made significant contributions or held leadership positions. Just as you did in the Experience section, you should think about what you did in the organization, any responsibilities you had, any skills you used, and any knowledge you gained. If you made improvements to the student organization or activity, definitely include concrete examples. Make sure to consider if any of your experiences with student organizations and activities could be related to the position you are applying for. Could any of the skills you have learned be useful in the job?

Because student organizations and activities can offer students leadership opportunities and experiences that are often limited to experienced professionals in companies, this section is your chance to show not only that you are qualified for the position but that you have even greater potential. Make the most of this opportunity to show the employer what you can do!

Tip 4: How to Highlight Your Skills

Another important component of what defines an attractive candidate in the modern economy is their skill set. Because employers want people who can quickly start being productive, they care about what skills a job prospect has, particularly in certain technical fields. In most cases, skills are incorporated into the Experience section, if you acquired skills as part of your internship or job, and in the Education section, if you obtained the skills through coursework, research, or projects. Sometimes people with additional skills, such as technical skills, foreign language, or certifications obtained outside of university, will place them into a separate section at the end of the resume. Whichever format you choose, you still need to emphasize the skills you have, so that an employer can easily see how you can help them.

You should ask yourself a few important questions. What skills do I have? What skills are my target employers looking for? Are my skills hard skills (i.e. technical, like computer programming) or soft skills, such as the ability to listen?

Make a list! Separate the skills into hard skills and soft skills. What skills are most in demand (on both lists) for the position you are interested in (One good way to decide this is to look at job listings for many similar positions and note how often a particular skill is listed.)? How can you highlight your proficiency in these skills?

Lead with your strongest skills and/or the ones that seem the most marketable. Let’s say you know the programming language Python. How well do you know it? How many years have you used it? Do you have any specialized knowledge and ability that may set you apart from a competing applicant? Do you have demonstrations of your work anywhere for a prospective employer to see?

Here’s an example of a skills entry that might be included into the Experience section:

Programming: 8 years of experience with Python and similar scripting languages, wrote MyFirstPythonProject software available on GitHub

Useful tip: Artists may have portfolios for their artistic work. Examples of appropriate work, such as for coding, may not be a bad idea to have available in addition to a resume!

Even if your field is not technical, you may still have important hard skills. Do you have experience with popular office software, such as Excel, PowerPoint, or Access? Do you know any foreign languages, even at a basic level? Think about not only what might be required in the day-to-day performance of the job, but what other skills could potentially be useful to the employer.

You will want to include all the relevant skills to demonstrate your qualifications, without including too much less-relevant information which could distract from your message. Think carefully about which skills you want to include, and which could be left out. Remember to choose your words economically to maximize content in a minimum of space. With a little effort, your skills details can transform your resume from a simple list of accomplishments to a document that gets an employer thinking about all the great ways you could contribute!

Tip 5: Formatting and Making the Resume Look Professional

Believe it or not, the appearance and organization of a resume can greatly affect the response. The first hurdle for any resume is to get the employer to read it. An attractively presented, concise resume is easy for a recruiter to pick up. On the other hand, if a resume is 5 pages, written in 6-point font, a prospective employer may not think that it is worth the time to find a magnifying glass and read it. In most cases, a resume should not exceed one page (sometimes two pages, mostly for more experienced candidates, or in scientific and technical fields where publication lists can be lengthy), which has a few key sections that are separated from one another or clearly delineated.

Here are some suggestions to make the format stand out positively:

• Use 10-12-point font or larger. (10 point may even sometimes be too small, and the choice can depend on the chosen font.) Your audience should easily be able to read the size of the writing. Often prospective employers may not have perfect vision, so readability may create problems if the text is too small.
• Use a clean, professional-looking font. Don’t use fonts that are overly artistic and hinder the ability for the reader to understand them. Some find fonts like Times New Roman most clearly readable; others find competing fonts better. The font is just an aspect of the writing; don’t let it overpower the words themselves.
• Use respectable margins. Don’t try to deviate too much from 0.5 margins at either side. Also, don’t make the margins too large, beyond 0.75 or 1 unit on either side. Around 1 unit on the top and bottom should be acceptable.
• Use adequate spacing.
• Abbreviate months of employment.
• Include proper contact information. Most people include full name, address, email address and at least one phone number at the top of the document.

Tip 6: Revision and Review 

One of the most important steps to writing a good resume is having others you trust look it over. A small spelling or grammar error on a resume could cause problems by making it seem like you lack attention to detail.

You can start with standard spelling and grammar checking programs. However, while these programs are very helpful, they are not enough by themselves. For example, the programs may not flag errors with homophones (e.g. hair and hare). They also have difficulty with uncommon, technical, or foreign words that may not be in their dictionaries. In addition, they are not looking for formatting inconsistencies or at the overall appearance of the resume. While computer programs can help with many issues, there is still no substitute for the human eye.

Start by printing a copy of your resume and looking for errors and inconsistencies yourself. Then, present copies to others along with a description of the job or educational opportunity that you are applying for. When presenting your resume to others, consider at least two kinds of people: a peer, and an experienced professional or teacher. Each may identify different issues with the resume.

Ask the reviewers to provide two types of notes: technical revisions and feedback on the writing, organization and effectiveness of the resume.

Once you get feedback, discuss it with them for a few minutes. Remember, don’t take constructive criticism personally! They are trying to help you, and their points of view may be similar to that of the employer. Your goal is to create a resume that most people will appreciate.

Once you obtain proper feedback, you can work on improving your resume. Try to incorporate your reviewers’ suggestions. Their ideas may even make you think of other ways to improve your resume! Most importantly, always remember that once you have made your revisions, review your resume again before you send it out!

The stronger your resume, the better your chance of getting an interview and landing a meaningful job. Just by following these simple tips, you will be well on your way to resume success, creating a clear, detailed, and concise document designed to impress employers. So, get writing and get yourself noticed!

A good resume can help you land an interview, but even minor errors can take you out of the running.  Schedule an appointment with a counselor  to ensure it will be effective.

Quick Resume Tips:

• Use the position description to decide what to include.
• Pick a standard and consistent format.
• Describe your experiences with specificity and strong action verbs.
• Record accomplishments and contributions, not just responsibilities.
• Revise carefully!
• Don’t include personal information about your age, religion, health or marital status.
• Photos are generally not preferred for U.S. resumes.
• Typically, you will not be expected to share past salary information on a resume.
• Employers assume that “references will be available upon request,” so you don’t need to include them on your resume unless asked.
• Employers may use keyword scanning on resumes, so know what words are relevant to the industry and position and ensure they appear in your resume.

The perfect résumé for creatives: 13 tips

The perfect résumé for creatives will help you stand out in a crowded market.

The perfect résumé for creatives can make an impression on potential clients and allow you to stand out in a hugely competitive market. Whichever sector of the creative industries you work in, a first-rate CV is vital to stand the chance of a job interview. That might seem more true for those just starting out in the business and looking for your first job, but even seasoned pros with bumper portfolios will often need to present a résumé when applying for a new position.

To make sure you have the perfect design résumé needs to maximise your chances of getting an interview, you need to think carefully about how it's designed (after all, you are working in the design business; it's good to show you know your stuff in your own collaterals – especially if it's a graphic design résumé). At the same time, we hate to say it, but design isn't everything. You also need to think about what's written 

We've spoken to a range of professional designers to get their top tips on creating the perfect design résumé. Take on their advance, and you'll be landing that dream design job in no time.

If you're short on time and need a CV right away, take a look at our selection of the best free résumé templates . But if you really want to make a statement that will grab the attention of potential employers, check out our selection of some of the most creative résumés ever made. Or if you're thinking of venturing out on your own, see our top tips on how to start a design business . In the meantime, read on for our top tips to create the best résumé for finding work in creative sectors.

01. Ditch the word processor

Microsoft Word is the go-to tool for many people when it comes to making a résumé, and that's just fine if you're applying for an admin position and all kinds of jobs in other sectors, but if you’re after your dream job in the creative sector, it's really not going to cut it. If you're applying for a job as a designer of any kind, then the art directors looking to hire you will be paying close attention to the layout of your résumé as much as the content. 

This means you should use the programmes you would use for work (take a look at our pick of the best graphic design software and the best computers for graphic design if you're not already yet set up with the tools you need). Whatever program you use to design your résumé in, you'll generally want to deliver it in PDF to ensure it looks right on different platforms (unless you're getting very creative with something truly unique, or a real physical CV like in the old days.).

02. Keep it simple

You’re a designer, so your résumé should follow the hottest graphic design trends , right? Hmm, no. Probably not. One of the priorities of any résumé should be easy making it easy to read, and that's true even with a résumé for creatives where you want to show some originality to stand out. 

While you don't necessarily need to stick to the timeworn classics, it’s generally a wise idea to stick to simple, readable fonts. Using more than one font isn't necessarily a bad idea either, for example, one for headers and one for the details, as long as the two fonts pair well.

Generally, we'd recommend keeping both type and layout simple. We've seen lots of graphic design résumés presented as infographics, newsletters and more, but remember that the recipient doesn't want to have to spend more than a few seconds finding the information they need. It's not great if they can't decide where to look first. Unless you’re very sure about what you’re doing, keep the typographic flourishes and fanciful designs in check and ensure the layout is clear and simple and the information is clearly presented. You don't need to shell out lots of cash to find something suitable. Take a look at our list of the best free fonts for designers and our guide to the perfect font pairings . 

03. Consider colour

For most jobs outside of the creative sector, using colour in a résumé is probably a waste of time that could backfire – not to mention an unnecessary expense if you're going to print it. However, for design positions, touches of colour offer a way to add a discreet personal touch. Use colour carefully, however, and don't go over the top. Green type on a yellow page will stand out for all the wrong reasons, and the last thing you want is the recipient squinting because you thought dark grey text on a black background was a great idea. See our post on colour theory if you're in doubt.

04. Keep it brief

Art directors do not have the time or the inclination to read your entire life story. Your résumé should ideally fit onto one side of A4, and if it's any longer than two pages, you’re waffling and including too much stuff. 

Don’t be tempted to mask a lack of experience with verbosity. Clean, well-laid-out résumé will always win over flabby ones – remember, the aim is to intrigue and impress. Point the recipient in the direction of an online portfolio to see more. 

05. Don't forget your contact info

This might seem obvious, but a minimum, your résumé should include your name and contact details, including your email address, phone number and online portfolio URL. Don't assume that because these are at the bottom of the email you sent, you don't need to include them. Make life easier for your potential employer. You might also want to include links to social media profiles if you use them to showcase your professional work. These could all be clickable icons.

This should be followed by a breakdown of your work experience, then your education. In both cases, this should be the most recent first. Work experience should include dates, job title and a brief synopsis of your role. Don't bother including jobs you did years ago that are irrelevant to the job you're applying for. References are generally optional and you'll often be asked for them later if you don't include them on your CV.

06. Be honest!

There's always a temptation to inflate skills and experience on a CV, but, while it may sound trite, honesty really is the best policy. You stand a good chance of being found out if you start 'elaborating' in your résumé – and outright lies can get you in a lot of trouble. We know of an agency that once received a résumé from someone who claimed to have created quite a stunning website. The website had been designed by the agency he was applying to work for. Needless to say, that's the kind of creativity that employers DON'T appreciate. 

The résumé went straight in the 'no' pile and the applicant was sent with a strongly worded email. It might seem a million in one chance that this will happen to you, but any potential employer is likely to do a bit of digging and to ask you some questions about the projects you mention in your CV if you get to an interview.

We'll also mention plagiarism here. A surprising number of graduates see an inspiring résumé design concept and copy it. Do remember that we all have access to the same internet, and if a particularly inventive résumé design has caught your eye, it's probably done the rounds virally within the industry and your potential employer will have seen it too.

07. Include examples of your work

Not including examples of your work with your résumé is a common mistake. It's all very well telling a potential employer about your experience on your CV, but showing always beats telling, and designers work in a profession where it's possible to do that. 

How? You could include images directly in the CV itself, in a separate portfolio document (usually best as a reduced, curated version of your portfolio in PDF format) or as a link to an online portfolio. If you work with motion, stills will usually suffice, unless you’ve been specifically asked to include a showreel . See our selection of great graphic design portfolio examples for inspiration. 

08. Show your personality

We've recommended keeping it simple, but that doesn't have to mean dull. There's a balance to be found. A résumé is a reflection of your disposition and persona, and the recipient will be scanning it, consciously or not, for elements that distinguish your résumé from the other hundreds they have to wade through. Make your résumé stand out with an idiosyncratic design and personal touches. Just don't overdo it, and be consistent. 

Real-world design projects are usually centred around a single, consistent theme or concept that runs through a logo, branding, literature and so on. Your design résumé, portfolio and covering letter should demonstrate that same kind of consistency. For example, are bulleted lists all presented in the same style? Is the colour scheme consistent?

09. But beware the novelty approach

We’ve seen résumés written on scrunched up paper; in the form of jigsaws; and playing cards, as posters or placemats. We've seen inflatable résumés and résumés crafted using complex paper engineering. Off-the-wall CVs are memorable, and if you work in a particular niche, and you're applying for a job in a particular niche, then a novel résumé design can make perfect sense. But for more general roles, they're a risky proposition. On the one hand, you might appear like a creative thinker, on the other, it might seem pretentious, excessive or just plain confusing.

Which way it does can depend a lot on the recipient. If you know the art director who's in charge of hiring you is a massive craft beer fan, then yes, maybe, in that case, it might make sense to put your résumé on a beer bottle (as long as the beer's decent!) Or if you're applying for a job at an agency that specialises in packaging design, then disguising your graphic design résumé as a cereal box might raise a smile, but at other companies, it might just seem a bizarre and completely random choice of presentation. 

10. Use proper prints, not photocopies

Yes, we know you probably won't be sending it by post these days (although that approach has been known to win a job from directors who don't like having to wade through emails). But, it's still a good idea to take a print copy of your résumé to an interview. Photocopies are cheap, and they look it, so make sure you for fresh laser prints or sharp inkjet prints on the best quality paper available. For more info, check out our designer's guide to printing .

If you're planning on printing a lot of résumés and don't want to go to a printer, you could also consider investing in your own machine. See our guide to the best printers for that.

11. Spend time on the covering letter

Most of the time, when you apply for a job, your résumé will need to be accompanied by a covering letter. This should look formal and business-like: this isn't the place to showcase your creativity and imagination. The text should complement the CV and it's best to keep it short and to the point (three paragraphs is a good rule of thumb).

Make it obvious you haven't just copied and pasted the same letter you've used to apply for a hundred other jobs. Write it in a way that's personal to the particular job and company you're applying for.

12. Create multiple résumés

One way to allow yourself more flexibility in how you design your CV is to make multiple versions if you're applying for jobs in different sectors or creative niches. That way you can target each résumé for a specific role, both in terms of the design and the experience and skills you highlight. Take character artist Pierre Roger's clever CV above, which could have high appeal to a certain employer. As a more simple example, if the job specifically mentions InDesign as a requirement then you should make this first on your list of skills, and possibly expand the description of how and where you've used it.

13. Check your spelling!

Finally, the last word comes down to spelling. If you're applying for a job as a designer, does it matter how well you write? The simple answer is yes. Spelling and grammar mistakes will make you appear uneducated, ignorant and/or lazy – and none of these represent the image you're trying to convey. Besides that, one of the banes of any creative business is having work sent back by a client because of an avoidable typo. 

Always double-check your grammar and spelling, and get others to check it too because it's easy to miss your own mistakes as the eyes roll over errors and interpret the intended meaning. Don't rely entirely on an automatic spellchecker. Adobe has a spellchecker in Acrobat for PDFs, but it's far from infallible, and sometimes. Go over your text yourself word by word to check for mistakes. We've seen far too many design résumés and portfolios with the word "design" spelled "desing".

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