Have you noticed that the hiring environment has changed? The days of walking into a business and shaking hands with a hiring manager while dropping off your resume. Instead, today’s hiring process is largely automated. Technology continues to disrupt they way we handle everything in our society. It’s not a bad thing, it just means that things are changing, and in many cases for the better!
In today’s hiring atmosphere, an individual has to utilize different tactics to stand out from the sea of applicants interested in a job. It used to take walking into an establishment cleanly kept, professionally dressed, and confident. Today, an applicant must take advantage of the most up to date requirements for their resume in order to stand out and be noticed. We have discussed the importance of optimizing a resume to pass the Applicant Tracking Systemin a recent blog post, but what about having designs on your resume? Many ask themselves the question, should I have designs on my resume? While that question does not beckon a simple answer, we’ll do our best to give some guidance on the subject.
The Applicant Tracking System (ATS)
First, above all else, you must keep at the forefront of your mind that realization that your resume will most likely pass through an Applicant Tracking System before it ever reaches a hiring manager or recruiter. The automation of this process eliminates those who do not optimize their resumes with applicable keywords - designs or not. This is why hiring a professional resume writing service is so beneficial. It’s a contribution in your future and your happiness that is sure to be worth the investment.
What Designs are Acceptable on a Resume?
Many applicants, especially those in creative fields, want to express their creativity and individuality through designs on their resume. Understanding what designs are acceptable requires understanding the job role you are applying for and the culture of the company you are applying to. A local, small business in a creative field such as web design, photography, or marketing may have an appreciation for your creativity expressed through designs on your resume. In contrast, a large corporation would most likely not see value in your resume designs as they process a large number of applicants and are looking for the raw information.
In either case, it is important to use the designs on your resume, whether they are a unique logo, color pallet, creative font, or graphics, in moderation. You’d hate to have your creativity prevent the hiring manager from understanding the rest of the information about your qualifications for the job, so be sure that the vital information in your resume is still clear to someone reading the document.
Here’s the statistics: hiring managers spend an average of 6 seconds glancing over a resume. You won’t want them to be so distracted by the creative elements of your resume that they don’t get to know who you are. The key is to have more substance than style. You want your resume to have the right balance of content and creativity.
Furthermore, if you are applying at a company that uses the ATS (which most do), too much design on a resume can cause a rejection by the software. The computer algorithms that process the resumes have predetermined criteria that can even include font types in addition to the core content. Using a distracting or difficult to process font or including too many images that the computer will not process is an easy way to have your creativity tossed aside.
Why a Professional Resume Service is a Good Choice for Resume Designs
Everyone applying for a job has a decision to make: put in the work to understand current resume standards and write their own resume, or hire a professional resume writing service with expert, certified writers to produce one for them. We recommend the latter, and not just because it’s the service we offer. Here’s the deal, our writers are certified with the Professional Resume Writers Association and are up to date on everything related to resumes in today’s hiring environment. They are the leading authority on resume writing for today. Most individuals call a plumber when they have a leak because they are the experts. So why not trust an expert with something as important as your career and hire a professional resume writing service
Our professional resume writers will create a completely individual and custom resume that communicates your work history, education and personal achievements and do so in a way that shows you are a valuable professional that the company wants to hire. In addition, our certified writers know the ins and outs of the recruiting environment and have a depth of understanding into which career fields are accepting of creative resumes with designs and which are not.
Should you choose to have designs on your resume, our writers will create them in a way that is recognizable by the ATS and ensures your creative side doesn’t cause your resume to be rejected. They will make sure that your resume is clear and concise even when adding logos, designs or graphics to the document.
Who Offers the Best Resume Designs?
USA Resume, the leader in resume writing service in Houston TX is the best choice for resume writing. They serve local applicants in Houston, Austin, San Antonio and beyond. We have clients come to us from all across the United States and even the world.
Our company has created a reputation for excellence and provides the best experience for our clients. Whether you are looking for a traditional resume or want one that expresses your creative side with designs, our team of world class certified resume writers are waiting for you. Contact us today and find out how we can help you achieve your dream job! We’ll even review your resume for free - no strings attached!