Designing a Resume
Overview
This asynchronous e-learning course will introduce the learner to effective resume formatting and design. By the end of the lesson, the learner will be able to:
- Recognize the elements of a well-designed resume
- Categorize resume components under appropriate headings
- Use design principles to format a resume
- Evaluate a completed resume for flaws
Looking for a job?
Make your resume stand out!
On average, recruiters spend six seconds looking at a candidate's resume.
Formatting and structure matter just as much as content.
Learn how to design a dynamite resume following some simple steps.
Click "Next" to get started!
Lesson Overview & Knowledge Check
This learning system will introduce you to effective resume formatting and design. By the end of the lesson, you will be able to recognize the elements of a well-designed resume, categorize resume components, use design principles to format a resume, and evaluate a completed resume for flaws. After the lesson, you can apply what you learn to creating your own resume!
Before you get started with the lesson, please take a moment to complete a brief survey about your existing resume knowledge. After your complete the survey, you will be directed to the next section of this lesson. Click on the link below to complete the survey.
Resume Layout
A well-designed resume uses three key features to enhance readablity. Incorporating these features will make your resume easy to follow and help you stand out to recruiters.
Scan-Ability
Your goal for the resume is to make it easy for the reader to scan VERY quickly for the most relevant and important experience and skills. Use formatting–boldface, type scale, strategic use of white space–to make key information easy to find.
Formatting and Visual "Chunking"
USE ALL CAPS, bold, italics or underline to create emphasis and access points for the reader. Create visual chunking with white space between blocks of information– keep those blocks short!
Two short blocks are better–more inviting to read–than one long one.
Information Architecture
Information architecture refers to a hierarchy of information or text achieved by a combination of sequence, scale, and boldness of your information. By selecting what text appears first, horizontally or vertically, you're telling the reader what information is most important.
Source: The three features on this page are described using text from the DePaul University Career Center.
Well-designed Resume
Review the example of a well-designed resume and corresponding notes on this page. Identify spots where the author used scan-ability, formatting and visual "chunking," and information architecture to achieve the desired results.
Reflect on the following questions as you review the resume:
- Do you find this resume easy to read? Why/why not?
- What stands out?
- How is the resume structured?
- What are the categories and corresponding headings?
Identifying Design Flaws
Now, review this sample resume and reflect on the following questions:
- Do you find this resume easy to read? Why/why not?
- Could you easily scan the resume for key elements?
- Does the resume use ALL CAPS, bold, italics or underline to emphasize and "chunk" sections?
- Does the content appear in a logical, hierarchical sequence?
- Are there elements of the resume that you would remove or add?
Answers: Identifying Design Flaws
Compare your answers to the reflection questions with the answers in bold:
- Do you find this resume easy to read? Why/why not?
- This resume uses many design features to enhance readability, though there are several spots where readability could be enhanced.
- Could you easily scan the resume for key elements?
- The resume lacks white space, making it difficult to scan.
- Does the resume use ALL CAPS, bold, italics or underline to emphasize and "chunk" sections?
- The resume uses caps and bold to divide up sections and help with readability.
- Does the content appear in a logical, hierarchical sequence?
- The two columns on the resume create confusion for the reader. The "core competencies" and "profile objectives" appear on the same horizontal line, making it unclear which is most important.
- Are there elements of the resume that you would remove or add?
- The headshot photo in the upper left corner is unnecessary for most resumes. It can be distracting.
- The "personal details" section in the lower left corner can be removed/consolidated with the skills section. Including your birthday is not necessary.
- The resume is missing a section on work experience.
Organizing a Resume
Organizing your resume content is another vital step in designing a compelling resume.
Looking, again, at this well-designed example, you can see that the author divided the resume into five sections:
- Education
- Experience
- Projects
- Technology
- Skills
Each section includes specific and relevant examples, taken from the authors professional experience. Most examples are bullet points.
In the "Experience" and "Projects" sections, the author wrote the examples as statements, highlighting measurable deliverables. For example, under the second heading in "Experience" the author illustrates a specific skill they used while working as a Community Health Researcher: "Created data visualization that illustrated the disparity between community health awareness and access to medical services."
Review the resume on this page with attention to what the author included in each section.
You will practice organizing resume content on the next page!
Practice Organizing a Resume
Let's practice organizing a resume!
Below you will see three sample headings and five sample content blocks. Where would each content block go in a well-designed resume?
Sample headings
Education
Experience
Skills
Sample content
General Manager, Costco, 2010-Present
- Managed a budget of $50,000
- Enhanced spending processes and loss prevention
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Illinois, 1995
Political Science
Biochemistry Lab Manager, University of Chicago, 2005-2007
- Supervised staff team of 20 part time lab technicians
Adobe Creative Suite Software
Data Analytics Certificate, DePaul University, 2015
Answers: Practice Organizing a Resume
Education
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Illinois, 1995
Political Science
Data Analytics Certificate, DePaul University, 2015
Note: While "data analytics" would fall under the skills heading, the "Data Analytics Certificate" is best placed under education.
Experience
General Manager, Costco, 2010-Present
- Managed a budget of $50,000
- Enhanced spending processes and loss prevention
Biochemistry Lab Manager, University of Chicago, 2005-2007
- Supervised staff team of 20 part time lab technicians
Note: The "Biochemistry Lab Manager" entry is an example of work experience, even though it took place at a university, and may have occured in the same time period that the author was a student.
Skills
Adobe Creative Suite Software
Review & Proofreading
Your resume is not done until you proofread it!
After you generate content, organize sections, and apply design principles, you must double-check your work. A seemingly small typo can get your resume thrown of a recruiter's pool.
Before sending your resume in to a job, review it at least twice. These reviews can be done by you, or, ideally, with support from a trusted friend or colleague.
The first review of your final resume should focus on structure and format. Ask yourself these questions:
- Is the resume scan-able?
- Are the sections clearly organized?
- Did I make good use of fonts, layout, and white space?
- Are the examples under each heading appropriate illustrations of my accomplishments?
- Does the spacing and allignment flow?
The second review should solely focus on spelling and grammar. Ask yourself these questions:
- Is every word spelled correctly?
- Are the statements clear and written as fragments (rather than full sentences)?
- Do all of the tenses align?
Recap & Knowledge Check
Let's recap what we learned!
A well-designed resume uses three key features to enhance readablity:
- Scan-Ability
- Formatting and Visual "Chunking"
- Information Architecture
Organize your resume content into appropriate heading and sections. This will help recruiters understand your experiences when scanning your resume.
Remember to review and proofread your final resume before submitting it. Ask trusted friends or colleagues to help with this review.
Incorporating features and tips into your resume will make your resume easy to follow and help you stand out to recruiters!
Knowledge Check
Thank you for participating in this course! The final step is to complete a knowledge check survey, similar to what you did at the beginning of the course. Once you complete the survey, you will be done with the course. Click on the link below to check your knowledge.