A resume that looks good has the right text and formatting elements.

Your resume is one of the most – if not the most – essential tools to help you land a job. It's often the first impression that gives prospective employers insights about whether you're a good fit for their organizations. 

And, though it's a given that the content or text of your resume matters, don't underestimate the importance of your resume's layout and formatting. In this post, we answer the question, “What does a good resume look like?” We also offer tips and examples to help you create a resume that can win you interviews and a great job.

What does a good resume look like?

Your resume needs to make it easy for a recruiter or hiring manager to find the information they're interested in, including your skills, education, experience, and qualifications relevant to the job. The text within your resume needs to be written so that these factors stand out. Additionally, your resume's formatting and layout must be such that this text and information are easy to locate and process. 

So, what does a good resume look like in terms of the best formatting and text? Let's find out.  

What does a good resume look like: formatting and layout

As touched on previously, it would not be to your advantage to focus on what text to include in your resume without giving equal attention to the format and layout of your resume. The layout and formatting elements you choose can impact your ability to land an interview as much as the text within it does. 

Now, let's discuss some layout and formatting tips that align with what a resume should look like.

Select the right resume format

The resume format you choose is one of the most important decisions you'll make when designing your resume. It will guide the flow of information for the reader.

What is the most successful resume format? 

Of the three options – chronological, functional, and hybrid – chronological or hybrid tend to work best. Compared to the functional format, these formats are read more easily by an employer's ATS and human readers. 

Keep it simple

Some think being creative with their resume is a way to gain points with hiring teams, though this can be far from the truth. An ATS has a difficult time reading resumes with unusual or creative elements, and they can be distracting to hiring managers. A simple, clean, black-and-white layout with plenty of white space is best for most industries. 

Use standard elements

An ATS can more easily read resumes that use standard elements, and the same generally goes for hiring managers. These include

  • Font type. Resume fonts need to be easy to read. Good options include Cambria, Georgia, Arial, Times New Roman, and Helvetica. 

  • Font size. A font size of 10 to 12 points is best for text that falls under each resume section to ensure it's easy to read. Use a font of 14 to 16 points for resume titles and section headings. 

  • Margins. Margins should be between a half-inch and one inch all around, with each side having the same margin and the top and bottom having the same margin. 

  • Line spacing. Double lines after section headings and 1.15 to 1.5-point line spacing between text below section headings work best. 

Be consistent throughout

Good-looking resumes use consistent formatting throughout. Be sure to use:

  • The same size and type of font for section headings

  • The same size and type of font for text that falls under each section heading

  • The same type of bullet point throughout your resume

  • The same date format in your work experience and education sections

Keep it to one to two pages

Only in rare instances should your resume be more than one to two pages long. In reality, if your resume goes more than two pages, a hiring manager is likely to question it and not have time to read it.

 If you find your resume spilling onto three pages, go through and condense it by only including your most significant achievements and experience. Remember, your resume isn't meant to tell your entire professional history – it's meant to give the highlights that stand out the most and relate to the job posting. 

What does a good resume look like: content and qualifications

Now, let's consider what a good resume looks like from a text perspective. How do you best represent your qualifications through text, and what components are essential to include? 

Make your contact information clear

A good resume has your contact information front and center at the top of your resume with the pertinent details. Include your name, cell phone number, email address, and city and state. You might also opt to include your professional website or LinkedIn URL. 

Here's an example template:

NAMEPhone number | Email address | City, State | Professional URL

Write a strong resume summary

A well-written resume summary kicks off your resume with a bang. Your goal is to entice the reader to want to learn more in three to five sentences. An inspiring summary incorporates a few of your relevant skills, key qualities, and results-oriented achievements. For example:

"Intuitive HR Manager with over 15 years experience providing HR employee relations and operations support in the oil & gas sector. Skilled in training & development, communications, strategic planning, and benefits administration. Increased employee engagement by 20% through communications training program, resulting in an 18% increase in employee morale ratings and improvement in leadership-employee relationships.”

Related reading: 27 Great Resume Summary Examples to Get Hired

Use skills that align with the job description

A resume without the incorporation of your best hard and soft skills likely wouldn't get you very far. Refer to the job description, and highlight your skills. These are the keywords you want to incorporate into your resume to make it (and you) look good on paper!

Use power verbs

Your resume will look and read better when it includes power verbs throughout. Plus, power verbs at the beginning of each work achievement help the reader more easily visualize your accomplishments. 

Incorporate quantifiable data

Quantifiable data emphasizes the level of results you achieved, making for a more powerful and exciting read, and our minds more easily read numbers than text. That means that when someone reads your resume, their eyes naturally gravitate toward the numbers included before they read the surrounding words. Here are some examples of work achievement bullet points with quantifiable data that you might find on a resume:

Increased sales by 22% in one quarter by re-engaging former customers through social media outreach program

Managed $5MM pipeline project for the Appalachian region, while overseeing 25 employees and contractors

Proofread and edit

When you ask yourself “What does a good resume look like?” the last thing that likely comes to mind is a resume peppered with grammar and punctuation mistakes. It might go without saying to proof and edit your resume prior to submitting it, though one of the top resume mistakes reported by employers is spelling and grammar mistakes. 

Create a job-winning resume!

Now that you have the answer to “What does a good resume look like?” you can start crafting your own! Be sure to select the best format for your situation, incorporate standard formatting elements, and then write content that sets you apart using the above tips! And, before you submit, consider having someone else look it over to proofread and edit it to avoid some silly mistake negatively impacting your chances of landing that coveted interview.

Does your resume meet the above formatting and text recommendations? Do you feel confident submitting it with your applications? Why not submit it for a free resume review for specific tips and suggestions to help?

Recommended reading:

Related Articles: