Resume Makeovers: How Much Is Too Much?

Have you ever wondered to yourself how much is too much? Well I have when it comes to peoples resumes. As a recruiter it is amusing when I come across an embellished resume. It could be the eye catching color or the different shape of paper the resume was printed on that first caught my eye but the bottom line when customizing your resume is that less is more.

Hard Copies

I have seen a 3D resume with raised words such as “exceptional managerial skills” and resumes with peoples own photo on it, which in most cases never really looks like the person. Whatever way you choose to make your resume unique you need to remember that underneath all the glitter needs to be a well written resume.

Here are some ways to make your resume stand out:

  • Add your photo. I have my own personal doubts about photos on resumes but if your not getting any takers and youre between 20-35 (because that seems to be the age group that adds their photos) then why not. Your only trying to get your foot in the door and if adding your photo works then try it. I just wouldn’t add a lipstick kiss as a seal or douce it with perfume. Remember job hunting is not like putting out a personal add so don’t add your age, how many kids you have and if you like walks on the beach. Just your photo will do.
  • Add links or paste company logos. If you are proud of a company that you worked for or if your company is very popular such as IBM, Google, Apple or even the Olympics, why not add their logo to your resume. Not only will it add a punch of colour but it will be extremely recognizable. Also including links shows that you are a little computer savvy and that’s never a bad thing.
  • Use a unique font. Times New Roman and Arial are great fonts but if you keep it consistent throughout the resume Garamond or Verdana are other fonts that work well. Just make sure you adjust your font size so it can be readable.

Online Applications

Ok, so glitter, macaroni art and 3D pop outs look pretty cool (if you’re under 10 years old) on a resume when it’s a delivered by hand or mail because it’s a hard copy. This is not the case when sending your resume online. Online resumes need to be very simple because depending on the system used on either end (user or recipient) there can be formatting problems. The most important thing to remember when submitting an online resume If you have embellished it or not is to always preview your resume before you press the submit button. Most sites have the preview function so use it. If it looks funky then change it.

At the End of the Day

I love embellished resumes because they look cool and I know the person took time in preparing it. Embellished resumes definitely get read or at least looked at, which is what you want but they don’t always land you the interview. The most important thing is to have a well written resume that clearly states your experience and the skills that you have. If you want some creative ideas on how to makeover your resume check out this great book: Designing Creative Resumes. Have fun and good luck.

Photo by: Duncan Rawlinson

Remember if you have any questions or have a post idea just ask Dorothy!

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