In terms of style, go with a readable 10- or 12-point font. The traditional ones such as Courier, Times New Roman, or Helvetica work very well. Comic Sans is easy to read, but is considered unprofessional in many cases. Bookman Old Style is a very wide, legible font that can be used as well. One of the keys of learning how to make a resume is to making the words legible, so stay away from fonts like Lucida, Bickley Script or anything that resembles real handwriting. Use this same font for every section of your resume; now is not the time to try out different fonts on each section. Not only does it look confusing, but it could hasten your resume’s arrival in the “no” pile.
While you’re learning how to make a resume, let’s talk about design. The old adage of “less is more” works here. Snazzy designs or colorful paper makes your resume stand out in a bad way, not a good one. The focus should be on the content, so sections about your education and any relevant achievements you’ve earned in your career should be listed. You don’t have a great deal of words to work with; resumes are best when kept to a page or two at the most. Therefore, keep everything relevant to the job you’re applying to and focused on the objective, that being to get the interview.
Knowing how to make a resume stand out while still blending in design-wise takes a creative writer. A resume is all about the content, so fill your resume with keyword-rich content that will get it noticed amongst the deluge of resumes that come in for nearly every job. Someone will read your resume eventually, so it doesn’t do you any good to lie. Lies on a resume can come back to haunt you and may cost you your job. Therefore, take an efficient approach to constructing your resume, and you’ll be in good shape.
