Skip to content

How Do I Make My Resume Look Professional?

If your resume does not look professional, it is unlikely to get a second glance from employers and hiring managers. It will not matter if you are the ideal applicant if your resume presents poorly, has inconsistencies, is hard to read, and contains lousy formatting.

Helping ensure you do not miss out on vital job interviews, we show you how to make your resume look professional.

Consistent formatting

Your resume should have consistent formatting. For professional results, we recommend making the following checks when creating or reviewing your resume:

  • All bullet points are the same style (round or square)
  • The same font is used throughout
  • Subheadings have the same font size
  • Body text is the same size
  • Italics and bold text is consistent
  • The page margin is between 0.5 and 1 inch
  • There are no enormous blocks of text

A professional font

An overly creative or flamboyant font, such as Comic Sans, can make your resume look childish and unprofessional. The best and most readable fonts are Calibri, Helvetica, and Arial. Times New Roman is acceptable but not as readable as those mentioned above.

Concise content

A resume is not a CV, which is the reserve of European countries and applications for academic or scientific positions. A one-page resume is ideal, putting all crucial information before the reader. If your resume appears too long, consider every point you make and whether it will help you get the job. If all facts are pertinent and relevant, use a two-page resume.

Grammar and spelling

Spell-checking your resume for grammatical errors is crucial. Most applications, such as Word or Pages, have a spell check feature. You could also use dedicated software such as Grammarly. We recommend that you ask someone you trust to proofread your resume. It can help to have them read it back to you aloud. If you apply for a UK position, remember to use UK English. For example, ‘summarize’ is spelled ‘summarise’ in the UK.

Relevance

Update your basic resume often, ensuring your facts and dates are accurate. Every time you earn a promotion or move to a new company, revisit your resume. You should also do your resume-writing research to see if the ‘norm’ has changed since you last submitted your resume. For example, it is no longer advisable to include your mailing address (as most resumes are sent and responded to by email) or mention references.

Resume templates

If you are struggling to create a professional-looking resume for your industry or sector, take a look at our resume templates: