How to design your own resume. Things to consider while designing your… | by Nikhil Yadav ✌ 😎. Ml | UX Collective (uxdesign. Cc)
What to consider when designing a resume.
Designing a resume has always been a difficult process for me. There is too much information to display in a small area. In addition, there are so many factors to consider when designing a resume. Search the Internet and you’ll be inundated with guidelines for designing a resume. If you’ve been thinking about applying for a job or internship and are considering updating your resume or building one from scratch, you might want to take a look at this article. I’ve compiled a book of all my research on things to consider when designing a resume. I hope you enjoyed this article.
Disclaimer: I have neither been involved in the hiring process nor have any resume shortlisted experience. I am still a student. All tips and advice are mine or gleaned from various sources on the Internet. If you have any suggestions, please comment below and let others benefit from your feedback.
1. Keep it short (ideally one page).
Recruiters typically spend two to three minutes reviewing your resume. You don’t want them to waste their time on a 2-3 page resume, and you don’t want your resume to contain irrelevant information.
Reduce your resume to one page. You can include a short summary about you, your education, your work experience, projects, skills, interests or hobbies, awards (if any) and your social links to learn more about you.
Some people might say, if you have a portfolio, then why do you need a resume? A portfolio shows the depth of your skills, while a resume helps to understand the breadth of your skills. A resume is a short, customized version of your portfolio. First, the recruiter wants to know if the candidate can do the job and has the necessary skills for the job, then he wants to know how the candidate handles problems, his passion and values. Therefore, resume screening is the first stage in the hiring process.
Showcase your work history at different companies or any freelance projects you’ve worked on, and give recruiters a way to dig up more information by providing separate links, such as your personal website, LinkedIn profile, Dribbble or Medium (anything that shows a unique side of you).
2. Be specific about the role you’re applying for
It is important to show the experience relevant to the job you are applying for. You may have print media experience, but it’s less valuable when applying for a user experience position. Admittedly, professional experience of any kind is important. It will definitely improve your soft skills. But keep in mind that recruiters only care about it at the second stage of the hiring process. First, they need to know your skills related to the role.
Being specific to the role also prevents any kind of confusion for the recruiter, who would otherwise have a hard time figuring it out. You also don’t want to portray yourself as confused about the role you’re applying for. Customizing your resume to fit your role can help clarify your purpose. It also gives the candidate a clear idea of the job he must perform.
3. Use existing templates (beware ATS).
You might think, why am I saying this? What about being creative? I’m a designer, why should I use an old template that anyone can use? With the advent of applicant tracking systems (ATS), you may need to keep your creativity alive here. Some companies use an ATS to process resumes. These systems let companies automatically filter candidates based on a number of criteria.
According to the ATS guidelines, your resume should not include any graphic elements. This means no images, ICONS, tables, or shapes of any kind. If these elements are present, the ATS may confuse your information when reading your resume, and you may lose out on a potential job offer. There are other guidelines for using fonts, bullets, etc. For a complete list of guidelines, read this article.
To save you the trouble of typesetting, it’s best to use an existing template. A resume is mostly about what it says. After all, you can’t showcase all your creativity on a resume, and we should save that for our portfolio. You can use the free Google Docs template and Latex resume template (latexresu. Me /). Latex is a very good, simple coding language, and you can easily create documents by learning it. You can use its simple code to create well-formed files.
But try to be creative in choosing the templates that are available. Don’t use free resume templates when they’re particularly like this.
So next time, whenever you upload your resume online, be aware that it could be an ATS. Upload an ATS-friendly resume. I usually like to have two resumes — a well-designed resume (to send in an email or message) and a template resume (to upload online).
4. Say no to your photos (it’s a cultural issue
It’s a highly debated topic on the Internet when it comes to adding photos to your resume. Countries like the US or the UK don’t like to have photos on CVS. The photos reveal a lot about the candidate, such as his caste, skin color, religion and so on. Labor and anti-discrimination laws in these countries prevent employers from requesting large amounts of personal information. As a result, organizations rarely require photos as part of a job application and are not expected to have them, especially for professional positions.
I don’t understand why they have such a law. Photos can also be seen on the applicants’ social media accounts. What do you think about that? Let me know in the comments. After all, law is law. We need to abide by them.
What a resume should look like is so different in different countries. It’s a cultural issue. In countries like Germany, Japan and China, professional photos are generally preferred. It’s easier to remember the applicant. Therefore, I recommend researching the company before sending out your resume.
I always like to remove photos from my resume. Getting rid of the photos also gives me more space to show more information. Remember that the use of space in a resume is the most critical.
5. Tends not to show general interest
Interests add unique qualities to an individual’s personality. It certainly adds value to a candidate’s profile. Assuming you are a good singer, you can make the party time even better. After all, work is not just about work. If you can add a unique value to the team, you will always be the first choice. Singing, cooking, playing Musical Instruments, writing, etc., are all unique qualities, and if you have them, you must mention them.
Avoid binge-watching Netflix, traveling, playing games or listening to music. Everyone does them and loves them. Prefer to exclude these general interests from your resume. You don’t want to sound stupid.
6. Write in the first person, but remove the pronouns
Just as there are rules around using your photo in your resume, there are also rules about the language you should use in your resume. Some people like to write their resume in the third person, but everyone knows that you write your own resume. So always write in the first person, but leave out the pronouns. Pronouns are extra words that you add to your description. Delete them to save space.
Also, pay attention to the grammar. If, like me, you are not good at grammar, check with someone who is good at it. You don’t want to make a bad impression by using bad grammar on your resume.
7. Organize your work experience
Researching the company and position you’re applying for can also help you figure out what skills recruiters are looking for in candidates. Don’t forget to mention the specific keywords they are looking for. Mention a short description of your work experience, including these key words.
You should also mention the value added to your business (such as improved conversion rates). Recruiters are more likely to read your accomplishments than your job description. For example, they know what a user experience designer does, but what exactly do you do? Have you designed and helped launch an app? Did you design 50 wireframes? Have you built a design system? Did you increase utilization by 50% or 200%? What is your impact on the company (product, culture, bottom line)? Metrics are also mentioned in order to better judge your skills and provide a quantitative measure.
Also, write each job in reverse chronological order. When it comes to work experience on a resume, recruiters are more interested in a candidate’s recent work than in the distant past. It also allows recruiters to see recent work experience before they can review the candidate’s career development.
8. Exclude references
Every recruiter knows you’ll provide them if they ask, so there’s no reason to include them in your resume. Remember, space on your resume is critical. Don’t waste it.
Well, the above information is readily available on the Internet, but it is half-baked. When I researched more and asked some friends about the importance of having references on your resume, they said, “When you apply for a research internship program, it’s highly mandatory. “Even when applying for a PhD, letters of recommendation and recommendations play a vital role.” So you can’t completely skip adding references when applying for a research internship or PhD.
That’s it, guys
Designing a resume can be a difficult job. Many factors, such as company, job, role type, key words, country, etc. can have a big impact on resume design. A proper resume can save a recruiter time. Use space wisely. In addition, doing proper research before applying to a company can really increase your chances of getting past the resume shortlist stage.
Other links
- Should you put a photo on your CV?
- 5 things you should never put on resume
- 22 resume mistakes that are way too common
- How to beat Applicant Tracking system
My most recent article
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Thank you for reading so far. Please continue to follow me on Twitter and Medium for more updates like this. If you have any concerns about anything or anything related to the design, please contact me on any of the above platforms. I’ll be glad to help you. PS: Thanks Shashank PM for helping me with the editing. Thanks Kidhack for your thoughts on this article.