Tabular Summary: Layout and Structure Tips

Tabular Summary: Layout and Structure Tips

The most important thing about your resume is that the recruiter can see the most important information about you at a glance. With popular positions averaging around 300 applicants, it’s not uncommon for a recruiter to take a little over five seconds to make a first impression.

During this time, you must score points, otherwise there is a risk that your application will be completely lost in the mass of other applications. Therefore, it is extremely important that you not only make a very good impression in terms of content, but above all that your layout is clean and consistent and that you format your resume very well.

As is often the case in life, the first impression matters. The structure and layout of your resume is, of course, very individual and usually meets certain standards. Of course, there is no limit to your creativity, especially if you work in a creative profession.

However, most employers want a relatively classic resume format. For initial orientation, you can follow two classic design rules or buy resumes from our website.

Font

The most commonly used fonts are Arial, Verdana, Times New Roman, or Georgia. The basic idea is not bad, but your resume is not very different from other resumes.

You are definitely recommended alternatives here because most word processing programs offer very suitable fonts that look serious and are easy to read, just like the ones mentioned above. However, you should avoid decorative fonts like ComicSans.

Use only one or at most two fonts on your resume. If it has to be the second one, it’s only to visually emphasize things like headings or headings. The goal of your application should be to leave the impression of a single concept that you have thought through well.

Photo position

You have several options for the photo and its position. The standard is to insert a photo in the upper right corner of the resume. Of course, the left side also works. Or you can do without a photo in the resume itself. Instead, you create a cover where you can place your photo much more prominently than on the resume itself.

When it comes to photo size, you can use the fact that the photo needs to be slightly larger than the passport photo. Measures approximately 4.5 cm x 6 cm. If the photo is on the title page, you can assume that it measures approximately 6 cm x 9 cm.

Columns

A very simple and clever concept has proven itself in the past. You divide your resume into two columns. You should write down the dates of your activities on the left side, followed by an exact description of your activities on the right side.

This creates a good overview for the HR manager and follows the general reading direction from left to right. Of course, you can write everything in one or more than two columns, but there is a risk that then the summary will look very confusing.

Steffy Alen

Steffy Alen