How to Format a Resume

A curriculum vitae (CV) is what you present to the recruiter, the resume writing should be perfect and simple. Here I would just like to add that there is a difference between CV and resume. So depending on the purpose and place where you are applying decide what you need to make. You will find the information in the incorporated link. We will see how to properly format a resume for various purposes under the following subhead.

Formatting a Resume

The easiest and best way to format a resume is to keep in mind the following order as a thumb rule for not going wrong. Secondly get the resume typed. Hand written resume is a strict no no. The following list is the basic outline of a resume.

• Contact Details
• Objective
• Experience
• Qualification
• Extra Curricular Activities

For example, if you are a freshman, you obviously won't have any working experience so there you can replace it by any internship that you have done or some other assisting work with some professional or on some large-scale. But just gauge first which is more impressive and useful for your job between the experience and qualification section. I am talking about a functional resume here. Whichever is better suited for the job should preside. Now have a look at the how to make a resume step by step in the following explanation.

The ones that I explained above is the main body of your resume but coming to the designing part of it I would like to tell that keep the document as simple and clear as possible. That is the trick. Use a plain white A4 size sheet of paper and black ink for printing. No decorations of any kind. As far as possible avoid unnecessary bullets and lines too. Keep you subheads clear by making them bold and left aligned. You can have them center aligned if your resume is for functional purpose (as explained above). Consider the following things as a checklist.

• Sub-Heads: Give proper subheads that are relevant. The ones explained below can be used for a conventional resume.
• Spacing: The spaces between each section should be just about enough to be able to separate out at one glance.
• Font: The font face and size should not be too big or too small. It should be a standard one like the Times New Roman or Arial. Same applies to the size too.
• Decoration: Last but not the least, do not use colors, margins, borders, tables (unless for giving your education details), etc.

Contact Details
The recent trend and format for resume layout is giving the contact details of yourself on the top of the sheet. You can do this in two ways. Either by putting in your name, postal as well as email address and contact numbers at the top center of the page or at the left corner of the sheet.

Objective
This section of your resume should have the objective i.e. motive of your seeking employment.

Experience
This section should have your working or professional experience in the reverse chronological order. This is also amongst the latest trends of formatting a resume. The latest experience comes first followed by the reverse chronological order. This way the information is presented very systematically, logically and the employer or recruiter knows all your history. Remember to put your achievements too along with the responsibilities.

Qualification
You have to follow the reverse chronological order giving your latest education degree or diploma, whatever the case may be first and ending with your schooling. Remember to mention the duration in terms of the academic years you have put in, in each course.

Extra Curricular Activities
This section though optional more often than not you can use this part to highlight all your relevant interests in terms of hobbies and which you think will aid in your employment as well as the job you are applying for.

Hope this article is helpful to you. Wish you all the luck for your endeavors.