Things to look at when choosing a resume template:
By Cham Posted Date: July 18, 2017
A large number of job applicants make use of templates as a starting point when preparing or designing their resumes rather than creating one from scratch. There’s no problem using a template and in fact some may be ideal to land a good job because they showcase your skills and experiences very well. However, there are many resume templates on the internet and not all of them are the ideal fit for your job type and experience.
So how do you know which one to choose and what will be good for you? – This really depends on the work you do and the experience you have as well as what level of work you are looking for. Discussed below are some tips on how to choose a resume style and template that suits you.
- A template that’s flexible: Choose a template that allows room for flexibility – there’s no ‘perfect resume’ that you can simply edit and use. It’s important to select a template that you can adjust some of the formatting on; such as adding longer sections or text, having a template that you can edit to this extent gives more room for creativity as well. (An example would be the objective statement that many templates include at the top, resume experts suggest ditching this altogether and instead start your resume with a modern captivating summary rather than a traditional ‘objective statement’.
- The design must be relevant to the job: Resumes as a standard tend to have a pretty plain design in terms of look and feel. Most of them are written in a black font colour and a basic font type such as Times New Roman. Although this is the traditional norm that’s generally okay, adding a little bit of colour (and character) to the resume doesn’t hurt. This is especially true for jobs in the creative or design industry – for instance if you are applying for a graphic designer job you can ‘show’ it in your resume rather than just ‘say’ it.
- Not just a template but a guide too: There are many good resume templates out there that also act as guide rather than just a template. So they will have captions or toolbar that provides you with tips and walk you through the resume building process. Find a good template than can provide these features to you especially if it’s the first resume that you are creating for yourself.
- Attention capturing elements: On average a job posting can get about 200 applications, and recruiters or HR teams are trained to be able to scan a resume and filter out an initial set to review properly a second time. In order for your resume to be selected in the first ‘six second scan’ review it’s essential that you have some elements that stand-out and capture the reader’s attention.