Best Resume Format Guide for 2017

Resume and CV trends change very quickly. Some applications need QR code or headshot, others may require a company logo. It’s rather difficult to tell which extras will grab the HR manager’s attention and help your application get noticed, and which will get it tossed out of the competition. Though certain things never go out style, and that is the format of your application document. 

The ability to distinguish which resume format is right for your application and your industry can open more doors in front of you and lead you to career success much faster. I’d like to share with you some of my job searching tips and techniques. Today at Job Searching Mom we are going to talk about how you can choose the best resume format to help your application become a marketing tool that will sell you to the prospective employer.

Resume Format 2017

The labor market is constantly growing and in 2017 it keeps booming, so the competition is very stiff. If you have a modern and clean design and standard resume format, you are well on your way to winning at least a job interview – if not a new job. Why do you need to pay attention to the format of your application document? Simply because the design really matters. All you need is to create a clear and smooth look that will make your application outshine the competition. But make sure to avoid these resume mistakes.

What Makes Resume Good?

An HR manager or a recruiter himself usually doesn’t spend a lot of time looking through each resume. A number of resumes a recruiter reads a week can vary but it’s definitely more than just a few. Therefore, they can’t spend much time thinking about each and every application. What makes them look at a CV for more than a few seconds? What makes a resume great? How should you build your document in order to make it fade away or stand out?

There are so many questions about the best resume format 2017. I have also struggled with finding the right format and design because of so many options. You can choose a standard resume format, functional resume format (I've written about these formats in this article), visual resume, online resume, graphical resume, resume in Microsoft Word or a resume in pdf. No matter what type of application document you find the most suitable, it should definitely become the marketing tool that highlights your key strengths and sells you to the potential employers.

A Resume That Differentiates You

You can find my tips and advice on how to determine what professional resume format works best for you – chronological, functional or a combination type. All in all, your application document is your main tool to distinguish and differentiate yourself from the other applicants at the beginning of the job hunting process. So, this time we are talking about something different. For me, the top priority when thinking about my resume format is how it will separate me from the competing candidates and communicate my unique value. If I want my job search to be successful, I need to make sure my document jumps out of the pack and gets noticed by the HR managers.

Dana Leavy-Detrick, the owner of Brooklyn Resume Studio, states that applying a simple resume format and adding a little color to your document is the easiest way to distinguish yourself and stand out. Adding some compelling color and visuals or something attractive to your CV can help it stand out. You don’t necessarily have to invest $100 or more to get your document professionally designed. But adding some accents, colors or other visual elements can make the whole application look completely different and catch the blurred eye of the recruiter.