Resume Design Tips I: Using bold type properly

Here at Officejobs.com, we've seen every kind of resume come through, both physically and in print. This is the first in a series on resume graphic design and what you can do to have the best looking resume in the stack.

Bold type

There is only one reason to make something bold on your resume - to draw attention to an item. We've seen entire resumes in bold type; in an attempt to be, well, bold, nothing stands out - it just becomes difficult to read.

Generally, bold type is only used for the most important things on a resume: job title is the best place to use bold type. When a recruiter or HR person gets your resume, they'll scan it quickly (5 to 10 seconds is a long time to look at a resume for the first time). Choose the one (1) most important thing on the resume - job titles, accomplishment keywords, etc. - to draw the viewer's attention quickly.

Remember to use this sparingly - 1-3 words is most effective. When everything is bold, nothing is bold.