Small Changes to Your Resume That Make it Easy to Scan

Summary: If you make the small changes discussed in this post to your resume, it will be incredibly easy for recruiters and hiring managers to scan.

We are going to discuss 12 very small changes you can, and should, make to your resume so that it is easier for recruiters and hiring managers to scan when received for an open job in this post.

Dates and Locations Aligned to the Right

Create a right tab on your resume and use it to align your dates and locations all in one spot. Only so much information can fit on one line of a document, which is why you should separate your dates of employment and locations into one area.

Refrain from Centering Any Text

Do not center any text on your resume, even section headings. All text should be aligned to the left, except for the section above, so that the resume flows better.

Never Justify the Resume

Do not justify any bulleted information on your resume. This will leave unwanted gaps and make it harder to read. In fact, leave all bullet-pointed information aligned to the left.

Bold One Piece of Information

People love to bold a lot of content on their resume because they think all of it is important. While this can be true, you need to pick either your role or the company for which you worked when bolding content. Bold the company names if you are a recent college graduate. Bold the job titles if you have been in the working world for more than five years.

One Font Size

All of the content on your resume needs to be the same font size. The more you differentiate, the harder it will be to read your resume.

Use CAPS Sparingly

There might be a time or two where you need to use all-CAPS on your resume. If this is the case, make sure you do so sparingly. Writing in all-caps in multiple places will make it more difficult to read.

Bullet Points Less Than Two Lines

Any bullet point you put on a resume needs to be two lines or less.

First Five Words of Bullet Points are Important

If someone is skimming your resume, you need to make sure the first five words of the bullet points tell the story. This is what will be seen the most.

Write Numbers in Digits, Not Words

No matter the rules, always use digits when writing numbers instead of words on your resume. This helps the resume flow much better.

Consistent Format

Your resume format needs to be consistent from top to bottom or else a recruiter will not have an easy time skimming it.

Skills Section Should be Separate

It is a major plus if you can put your skills in one section all by themselves.

Use White Space

It is a good idea if you can have some white space left over on your resume. When you leave a little white space in between sections it allows a recruiter to know you are moving to something new.