A résumé is a self-advertisement that, when done properly, shows how your skills, experience, and achievements match the requirements of the job you want. This guide provides three free samples on which you can base your résumé. It will also walk you through setting up and laying out the content to highlight your skills and grab the reader’s attention.

Formatting Your Resume

1. Format your text: The first thing that a possible employer will see on your resume is the text. For that reason, it is very important that you make the right first impression. Choose a professionXal font in a size 11 or 12. Times New Roman is the classic serif font, while Arial or Calibri are two of the better choices for sans-serif.

• You can use multiple fonts for different parts of your resume, but try to limit it to two maximum. Instead of changing between fonts, try making specific sections bold or italicized instead.
• The font for your header and the introduction to a section may be a size 14 or 16, but otherwise you should not use a very large font.
• Your text should always be printed in solid black ink. Make sure to deactivate any hyperlinks (like to your email) so that they don’t print in blue or another contrasting color.

2. Set up the page:Your page should have one inch margins all the way around with 1.5 or 2 point line spacing. The body of your resume will be aligned to the left and your header should be centered at the top of your page.

3. Create your heading: This is the section at the top of your resume which gives all of your contact information including your name, address, email, and phone number. Your name should be in a slightly larger size - either 14 or 16 point font. If you have both, list your home and cell phone numbers.

4. Decide on a layout: There are three general formats for creating a resume: chronological, functional, or combination. Your work history and the type of job you are applying for will determine the layout style you should use.

• Chronological resumes are used for showing a steady growth in a particular career field. These are best used for someone applying to a job within their career-path to show an increase of responsibility over time.
• Functional resumes are focused on skills and experience rather than job history. These are best used for someone who may have holes in their work history or who have gained experience from being self-employed for a time.
• Combination resumes are, as it sounds, a combination of both a chronological and a functional resume. These are used to show off specific skills and how they were acquired. If you have developed a specific skill set from working in a variety of related fields, then this is the best resume option for you.