To What Extent does Design Make a Good Resume?

This article is contributed by Lucy Wyndham with edits by Lei Han

“Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful.” John Maeda, author of The Law of Simplicity, hits the nail on the head when he talks about the essence of design. When it comes to your resume, design is about much more than picking the right font or trying to captivate a human resource manager’s attention.

It is, above all, about clarity; getting straight to the point and hitting the right buttons in terms of matching the job description to your own skills and experience. Recruiters receive an average of 75 applications per job opening: most spend a minute (sometimes less) on sifting through a long pile. Design matters; it is the first thing they will notice, before they have even read your content.

What constitutes good resume design?  Here are 3 tips on how to best design your resume

Tip 1: Simplicity Still Reigns Supreme

In a fascinating interview with three hiring managers working in branding and design, Forbes’ Allison Cheston,  comes to the conclusion we all suspected: simplicity is still one of the most lauded aspects of good design. Debbie Millman, President at Sterling Brands, notes that “Graphics – especially not from a designer – smack of gimmickry and narcissism. But I also would discourage designers from using any color, icons, fancy fonts, background designs or infographics.” Simple doesn’t mean boring, though. Fonts, layout, and margins matter greatly when it comes to a professional looking CV, especially if you are applying for a design-related job.

Tip 2: Facilitate Scanning

Because human resources teams may take seconds to filter through a pile of CVs, make sure yours is scannable. Good design will ensure that the different sections of your resume are easily defined (i.e. through the use of headings). Information should be provided whenever possible in concise bullet points. Add spacing between lines of text and between paragraphs, once again to make it easy on the eyes. Consider columns as well (without using borders). These are easier to scan than sentences that run from one side of a page to the other. Try to keep your CV to two pages maximum, since lengthy documents can be irritating to those who have to read one CV after another.

Tip 3: Be as Creative as the Job Requires

A resume for an engineering job should look different from one for an advertising agency. By all means you should feel free to create your own logo or use a little color. The key is not to let design interfere with meaning. Even when applying for a job in a very creative industry, the number one priority should be relaying your skills and experience clearly. Work hard above all on the content, making sure you mention skills that specifically match what the company has requested.

The late great Ferdinand Porsche, founder of the legendary car marque, once noted that “Design must be functional, and functionality must be translated into visual aesthetics without any reliance on gimmicks that have to be explained.” This rings true regardless of whether the object of design is a building, vehicle or a resume. Fonts, colors, layout should work together to make you employable, and that means delivering a concise, clear, simple resume that reveals a touch of your personality and creativity.

Author bio: Lucy Wyndham is a professional freelance writer. She made the move to freelancing from a stressful corporate job for the work-life balance benfits