Get more interviews by adding visual appeal to résumé

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Client background: Rebecca had extensive experience in the event planning field and was always told she had “great qualifications” but couldn’t get past the screening process. After not getting the interviews for jobs she knew she was qualified for, she came to the conclusion that she wasn’t marketing herself correctly, and despite marketing being her forte, she needed help to land her dream job.

Original résumé pitfalls: Rebecca’s original résumé was certainly not short on content; in fact it was overflowing with information. In addition, perhaps the biggest pitfall of her résumé was that it was difficult to understand where the eye should focus. Rebecca’s résumé lacked aesthetic appeal, and without selective formatting, presented her career overview, responsibilities, and achievements with equal amounts of weight. With the amount of content on her résumé , this resulted in a document that was difficult to screen, and even more difficult to discern the value she could offer an employer – particularly important when the screening process is only 7 to 10 seconds long.

New résumé strategies: It was imperative to streamline the information presented on Rebecca’s résumé , identifying the most important aspects of her career and presenting them in a comprehensive summary opening the résumé . Through a professional title, taglines, summary, and core skills list, the résumé opens by communicating Rebecca’s value to a prospective employer. Selective formatting was used to highlight important details and draw the eye to the content that was most important in differentiating her candidacy. The professional experience section was completely reformatted, being sure to distinguish responsibilities from achievements, and using formatting again to draw the eye to the value she offered her employer.

Results: Rebecca noted that she received positive comments from hiring managers, remarking that it was very easy for them to get a picture of her career and how she would fit into their organization. Her interviews increased and she even received interviews from companies where she had applied before and received no response at all. After a 4-month search, Rebecca accepted a position out-of-state and received a substantial pay increase.

Samantha Nolan is a certified professional résumé writer and owner of Ladybug Design. Reach her at dearsam@ladybug-design.com, www.ladybug-design.com, or 1-888-9-LADYBUG.