The Top Ender Magazine June July 2023 Edition

SUCCESSFUL
RESUME DESIGN
WILL YOUR CURRENT RESUME GET YOU PAST
THE FIRST CHALLENGE WHEN APPLYING FOR
A JOB?
Did you know that the time commonly estimated that
recruiters and employers will spend reviewing your
resume is 6-8 seconds. This can sound so deflating when
you have spent countless hours tweaking and producing
what you feel is sure to get you that next position. Let's
look at what can make your resume get noticed and less
likely to be rejected.
THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF TEXT
Make sure your resume is not intimidating and
overwhelming with a wall of text. There needs to be white
space to increase the impact of your words and to help
with navigation.
Eye tracking studies by the Nielson Norman Group in
2006 found that people scan content using an F–shaped
pattern of scanning. The F’ shaped layout mimics our
natural pattern of reading with our eyes trained to start at
the top-left corner and then scan horizontally. We then
drop down to the next line doing the same until we find
something that catches our attention.
In the images below of eye tracking by the Nielson
Norman Group, red shows where readers mostly looked,
yellow fewer views, blue least viewed and grey areas with
no viewing at all.
For readers who are updating and currently writing
their resume, good luck and I hope these tips are
useful. If you are a spouse or partner of a Defence
member you are likely to be eligible to access up to
$1,500 worth of careers counselling and employment
assistance through the DMFS Partner Employment
Assistance Program (PEAP).
With over a decade of experience in this industry and
a tertiary qualification in the field, I am also a Defence
spouse who has recently lived in the Top End.
Specialising in developing personalised resumes,
matching cover letters, criteria selection, LinkedIn
profiles, and interview skills. If you would like to access
my professional careers services through PEAP with no
upfront costs, please feel free to email me
prueatcareers@gmail.com.
CHOOSE A STANDARD FONT
When choosing a font for your resume, standard fonts of
11-12pt are recommended. Examples include: Calibra,
Arial, Helvetica, Cambria, Verdana, Georgia. These fonts
make for easy reading and ensure that the alignment of
your resume will be the same on the recruiter’s computer,
as the standard font will be installed. It will also allow for
computer based Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to be
able to read your resume.
FINALLY, WHAT NOT TO INCLUDE
There are a few things that you should not include in your
resume design such as: graphics, logos, tables, text boxes, a
photo of yourself, headers/footers. These items have the
potential to interfere with Applicant Tracking Systems
(ATS) and these computer programs will be unable to
read your resume.
Written by Prue Atkins
Prue Atkins Careers Consultancy
The Top Ender Magazine
JUNE/JULY 2023 29