Resume Myths Part 1

Creative Resumes

Showcasing your creative talents in your resume formatting can distract from the actual content and your true abilities do not shine through.

Colors, Shapes, Photographs

Multicolored resumes are normally a turn off. I’ve seen some that are 3 – 5 different colors and styles of font, on a colored background with clip-art embedded throughout. Or, even worse, including your photograph. If you’re absolutely convinced your photo needs to be on your resume, at the very least make it a recent business professional version.

Columns are also not a good idea. For companies who scan in the resumes, it comes out as sentences from left to right, so whatever is in the left column gets merged with the right column and makes incoherent sentences. While it might look good on paper or on your computer screen, once the formatting has been removed, you have a mess. I’ve seen two page resumes formatted as columns, end up being 10 – 20 pages long once the formatting is gone…and no one will look at that much information.

When it comes to your resume, what is important is clearly and concisely capturing your skills, experience and general knowledge in a way that attracts the attention of the hiring manager and encourages them to schedule an interview with you.