Resumés are not something that I am either particularly or profoundly gifted at creating. As I understand it, a resumé acts as a first impression to a potential employer. This is because most people will examine my resumé before they open my portfolio. I have been told that the people I send my resumé and portfolio to go through tons of these things daily. This is why it seems to be so important to be memorable and to stand out.
Needless to say, my current resumé needs to be updated - so I won't be posting it here right now (I will later though). I once showed it to a friend of mine, who is a business major, and he gave me the strangest look. It was like he couldn't quite figure out why I would seriously consider sending this to a potential employer. It was only one page and wasn't double spaced or set in Times New Roman... and it had color... and graphics. He thought I was weird.
While ultimately the information will be the most important part of a resumé, it can't hurt to flex some creative muscle and actually design my resumé, using graphics, when applying for a position as a graphic designer. It makes sense to me anyway. And, many designers do just that. At inspirationfeed.com, and other places on the internet, you can find some pretty sweet resumé designs. While I don't believe these are the best designs, I do enjoy the creativity.
Paper Stock - "The Devil is in the details," as they say, and a resumé marred by typos, misspellings or grammatical mistakes sends a message to potential employers that I lack attention to detail. It is always a good idea to use the computer’s spell-check function and ask a friend or relative to review my resume for accuracy. Another good detail is the paper stock. While I wouldn't buy any of the official Resumé Paper at the local copy shop, I wouldn't want standard copy paper either. I prefer something slightly heavier than plain copy paper with a nice, smooth finish, with an ever so slight hint of creme. It is warmer than the stark white of the plain copy paper, and is easier on the eyes. Neenah Paper has a great selection of all kinds of stock, but stick to the classics.
Aesthetically, the design depends on the designer as well as who the resumé is for - of course. However, I do think that whatever the designer chooses to use ie: info-graphics, bold typography and colors - whatever it is, it should be easily legible. The few seconds the potential employer has to read the resumé should be spent trying to decipher it. I may be a purist, but I believe that a resumé should be the standard paper size in whatever country you reside in (US 8.5" x 11", EU 210mm x 297mm). These sizes fit nicely into files and binders and won't be thrown out. I also believe that the designer should stick to the portrait layout instead of trying to do something different by going landscape. That seems annoying.
As previously stated, the information is ultimately what is most important, and should be precise and honest. In my resumé I should include all the basic information like:
While ultimately the information will be the most important part of a resumé, it can't hurt to flex some creative muscle and actually design my resumé, using graphics, when applying for a position as a graphic designer. It makes sense to me anyway. And, many designers do just that. At inspirationfeed.com, and other places on the internet, you can find some pretty sweet resumé designs. While I don't believe these are the best designs, I do enjoy the creativity.
Paper Stock - "The Devil is in the details," as they say, and a resumé marred by typos, misspellings or grammatical mistakes sends a message to potential employers that I lack attention to detail. It is always a good idea to use the computer’s spell-check function and ask a friend or relative to review my resume for accuracy. Another good detail is the paper stock. While I wouldn't buy any of the official Resumé Paper at the local copy shop, I wouldn't want standard copy paper either. I prefer something slightly heavier than plain copy paper with a nice, smooth finish, with an ever so slight hint of creme. It is warmer than the stark white of the plain copy paper, and is easier on the eyes. Neenah Paper has a great selection of all kinds of stock, but stick to the classics.
Aesthetically, the design depends on the designer as well as who the resumé is for - of course. However, I do think that whatever the designer chooses to use ie: info-graphics, bold typography and colors - whatever it is, it should be easily legible. The few seconds the potential employer has to read the resumé should be spent trying to decipher it. I may be a purist, but I believe that a resumé should be the standard paper size in whatever country you reside in (US 8.5" x 11", EU 210mm x 297mm). These sizes fit nicely into files and binders and won't be thrown out. I also believe that the designer should stick to the portrait layout instead of trying to do something different by going landscape. That seems annoying.
As previously stated, the information is ultimately what is most important, and should be precise and honest. In my resumé I should include all the basic information like:
| Name and Contact Information, Personal Statement, Experience, Education, Capabilities and Job Related Skills, Awards, Organizations and Interests. | For references I would just write, "References available upon request." I would also be sure to actually have the references available if they were requested. I have also read it is a good idea to leave this out and just have the references ready, because the employer will request them anyway. |
If my potential employer insisted that I absolutely had to submit my resumé as a Word Document, I would avoid Times New Roman. I don't hate the font, but I believe it is overused and something about the letter spacing in Word makes it look odd. I don't think I'd use Helvetica either. It has been branded as the designer's font and can be seen as overused as well.
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