Resume Format: Text and Space
On average, employers spend between 20-30 seconds skimming a resume to decide if they want to contact you for an interview. Thus, your resume should be easy to read and, upon first glance , should provide a positive visual impression. Regardless of your years of experience, your resume should be one page in length. Davis Scholars with longer work histories may want to write a two-page resume, but the gained space should be carefully weighed against the tightness of a one-page resume.
Margins: Should be approximately 1" all around. Even if you're pressed for space, try not to go below 1/2" margins, which creates a visually "crowded" impression and turns readers off intuitively. For readability, we also recommend left-aligned margins over block justified text.
Left Margin . On a resume, one of the most strategic positions is the left margin, where the reader's eye naturally pauses, from top to bottom. It's a good idea to arrange your most significant information along this margin.
Right Margin. It's a common truth in graphic design that a right margin, by means of balance, can also highlight the left side. You may want to place the job location and/or dates along a right margin, balancing the relevant employer's name and your position title on the left margin.
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Font: Besides the larger font size for your name, your resume font should be between 10 and 12 point for readability. For most career fields, use a conventional font such as Times, Times New Roman, Palatino, Arial, and other bookprint fonts. Alternative fonts may be not be positively received, even in some arts-related fields such as classical music or art history. Exceptions to this rule may be fields such as graphic design, architecture, or advertising, in which the overall layout and design of a resume may be considered part of the professional presentation.
Style : Utilize different styles (underline, bold , italics , CAPS, etc.) to call attention to different sections of your resume. Recurring elements such as employer names, job titles, dates, etc. can be highlighted by using a different, recurring style for each. It's best to limit yourself to one or two styles for any one "chunk" of text, otherwise the highlighting effect is lost. Also be careful not to position one bold section too close to another bold section.
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Sections: Subdivide your resume into category sections to assist the reader in conceptualizing the overall nature of your experience. Some category headings to consider:
- Education
- Work Experience (paid jobs)
- Experience (paid jobs and/or unpaid activities)
- Leadership Experience (usually referring to specific leadership roles)
- Specific Name of Field Experience (e.g., Publishing Experience, Legal Experience, Research Experience, etc.)
- Volunteer Experience or Community Service
- Activities or Campus Activities
- Honors and Awards
- Skills or Skills and Interests
For Davis Scholars or others who have significant time gaps in their experience, the resume format may be modified to accommodate these needs. Please see the FAQ's section on time gaps, or consider a functional resume.
Paragraph or Bullet Form: When describing job duties or a leadership role, most people use either paragraph or bullet form.
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Paragraph Form: To describe specific job duties, use short phrases starting with action verbs. Punctuate the end of each description (which may be a string of phrases) with a period. Paragraphs should employ the automatic wrap-text feature of most word-processing programs.
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Bullet Form: To describe specific job duties, use short phrases starting with action verbs. Use one bullet per type of duty, or categorize duties by related function. Circle and dot bullets are the most conventional, though small squares or hyphens can also be used; symbols or graphics used as bullets are usually distracting.
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