Designing better resumes
Australian Human Resources Institute fact sheet

When designing your resume, the most important thing to remember is that
information must be presented clearly and it must highlight your strengths in
order to secure you an interview.

There are four basic approaches to choose from when designing your resume:

1. Personal profile
A personal profile is a brief "flier" or "teaser" designed to introduce your key
relevant skills and to attract the attention of the reader. It usually consists
of one page listing your credentials and establishing your credibility, and is
commonly used in a tender situation or to accompany a project proposal.

2. Generic resume
A generic resume is the most common type of resume used. It is a detailed
listing of your skills, employment history and personal details. Your age and
experience determine the contents, and the most important aspect of creating
this document is to decide what information to include and what is superfluous.
This type of resume is suitable for a wide variety of positions when used in
conjunction with a covering letter. This is probably the most straightforward
resume to write and use, as you can follow a chronological structure.

3. Specific Application
A specific application is a document in which the data is tailored specifically
to a job advertisement or a position profile. This type of resume gives you the
opportunity to present your case why you would be an excellent choice to fill
the position - you must look at the skills required and work out how you fit the
requirements.

4. Functional Resume
A functional resume is similar to a specific application in that it enables you
to promote your skills and abilities, as well as listing your previous
employers. It is particularly helpful for jobseekers with a long or varied
employment history, or for those making a major career change.

Other design considerations
Once you have decided on your basic approach, there are other design features to
take into consideration. The use of the following will help ensure strength and
clarity:

a.. Typeface: the Sans Serif family of fonts is currently a popular choice for
its clean and modern appearance.
a.. This is a Sans Serif font
b.. This is a Serif font
b.. Capitalisation / italics / underlining: Be consistent and sparing in your
use of capital letters, underlining and italicisation for emphasis;
c.. Margins and spacing: Leave plenty of space and wide margins.



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