If you need to pull together a resume quickly, you may have used a resume template in Microsoft Word. Be careful. Resumes templates can be dangerous for the following reasons:
- Your resume may not stand out because it is not unique. Everyone else has access to the same templates that you do. Microsoft has done a good job expanding the number of templates over the years, but the risk is still there that your competition will select the same style as you. Employers may know that it is a template for this very reason.
- It communicates that you were not familiar with technology and unable to format the document yourself.
- They often are not designed by resume experts. For example, several of them waste a lot of white space that often causes the information to spill over unnecessarily into a second page.
- The formatting is automated, so it is often difficult to modify. Countless times I have had someone call me and express frustration that they cannot tweak something on their resume as the result of a template.
- It communicates that you did not spend very much time on the document and may imply that you have a poor work ethic.
To enhance your marketability, consider creating your own document. Preview some of the templates to get some ideas and a sense of structure. After a while, you will pick-up on how they use tables, bolding, heading and font size to organize the information. Then you can create your own resume to reflect your credentials and personality. When you have prepared your first draft, meet with your local career services office for a personal critique.
What do you think of resume templates? Post your comments below.
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