Computer Tips for Resume Writing

Do Not Use Templates or "Resume Wizards"
Although it’s really tempting to just type in your information and forget about it, there is a down side. The people who designed the templates were not experts in writing resumes, so the styles they have chosen may not be the best choice for you. Also, you may not be able to make changes to the structure of the page—if you don’t like where they have put your employment dates, it can be next to impossible to move them.

Use Standard Fonts
With traditional fonts you are guaranteed a professional look, and if you make changes on another computer, it is more likely to have that font or be able to recognize it.  Fonts that can be found on almost any computer and fit the look of a traditional resume are best. Two of the most common and appropriate fonts are Times New Roman and Arial. Stay away from Courier or other fonts that look like a typewriter.

Emphasize Specific Information
Your resume will be easier to read and more exciting if you consistently emphasize specific information. Each type of information should stand out from everything else. However, you will want to avoid using too many special tricks so that your resume becomes difficult to read.  Employers will take about 15 seconds to find your name, section headings, employer / organization names, job titles, and degree names. Following are several things you can try:

Bold
Useful for your name, section headings, employers, and college names.

Bottom Border
This is nice to set your name and address apart from the rest of the text, or to separate your headings from the contents of each section. Look for a button with a black square that looks like a window. Click on the small arrow next to the square, and choose the one that only has a black line on the bottom of the square.  This will create a smooth, seamless line underneath any row of text.

All Caps
Another option for your name, section headings, employer/organization names and college names.

Example:  WORK EXPERIENCE

Small Caps
Use this selectively to emphasize one or two types of information, like your name and the organization names. For your name, you’ll probably want to use bold and make it a little larger than the rest of the text. If you don’t have a button (Abc), you’ll need to click on "Format" and "Font." About halfway down, there are check boxes—find "Small Caps" and click on it.

Example:  Rollins College

Italics
When used alone on things like your degree and job titles, this is a nice choice.  It is also nice used in conjunction with many of the ideas above.

Use Bullets
When you are describing your work or leadership experience, the statements will be easier to follow if you use bullets.

Bullets are also handy for using in a list, like skills, courses, honors or activities.  Bullets may be added in one of two ways.  The easiest way is to click on the bullet icon on the formatting toolbar. The second way is to insert a bullet as a symbol.  Do this by going to the "Insert" drop down menu, choosing "Symbol" and then selecting a small circle or square bullet symbol.

Addresses 
Instead of stacking your street, city / state / ZIP and phone, put them all on one line that stretches across the page. See below:

Campus Address: 1000 Holt Avenue-2587 • Winter Park, FL 32789 • (407) 646-2195 • eholloway@rollins.edu
Permanent Address: 1234 Any Street • Yourtown, PA 23908 • (999) 999-1919 • myhouse@net.com

It is really important that your resume be no more than one page long!
In general, you can add a page for every five to ten years after college. Styles and accepted practices for resumes change.  It used to be appropriate to send in a resume of two or more pages.  This is no longer the case.  Resumes should be concise, well organized and easy to navigate.  Current business practices dictate that it is inappropriate or poor etiquette for recent college graduates to submit a resume over one page.  If your resume is running onto the second page, here are some things to try that may help.

Margins
Most Word documents open automatically to a 1.0 inch margin on the top and bottom and a 1.25 inch margin on the left and right.  Generally, you will want to shrink the left and right margins to 1.0 inch so the spacing is equal around all four edges.  In some cases, you may need to change your margin size to .7 inch or .8 inch.  Try to avoid using margins smaller than .5 inch, as this can often make it seem like you are trying to crowd information onto your resume.  To change the size of your margins, go to File and click Page Setup. 

Space Between Lines
Make sure you are single-spacing, rather than double-spacing.  Adding a blank space between entries and headings can help the reader more easily identify the different sections and listings in your resume.

Columns
For lists, try using two columns instead of one. Type everything in one long column and hit "Enter." Then highlight only the items in the list (not the blank line below) and click on the column button (it looks like a tiny newspaper). Highlight the number of columns you want and click.

A Note About Scannable Resumes
More and more companies are using computers to catalogue job applicants’ resumes. Electronic scanners enter resumes into computer databases by making an optical image of each document and digitizing it into information computers can understand. The problem is computers don’t read like people, so scanners can’t read resumes that feature ornate script, small font sizes, gray resume paper, and italicized words and shading. An effective, scannable resume assists computers by using a plain, easy to read format. Your resume should be printed in black ink on white paper in a 10 point or larger font size. Don’t use ornate script, graphics, shading, bold, or underlined words.

Once your resume is sent to an employer, the resume is scanned into a computer database. Employers use software retrieval systems to search the database for candidates with skills that match the job opening’s requirements. The search criteria are called "key words," which are nouns or phrases that describe the required skills. To be retrieved from a database, your resume must include these key words.

Choose only the best key words by thinking of how an employer would describe the skills, abilities, and experience needed to fill positions that you would like. Study classified ads for similar positions, ask recruiters what words companies would use to specify qualifications for jobs in your field, or have an employed friend send you a position description. Use the words you have collected when writing your resume.

Unlike humans, computers cannot read between the lines of your resume. If you omit important words, the computer will overlook you. For more detailed guidelines on scannable resumes, stop by Career Services for assistance.