Formatting of The Nonclinical Resume

Writing a stellar nonclinical resume rich with keywords and original marketing content is not enough. 

You also need to pay attention to the formatting.

How the resume looks shows that there was effort put into the resume.

Resume formatting is commonly overlooked.

An interesting-looking resume provides visual cues to the reader-remember you only have 6-8 seconds to capture attention, so someone decides to read your resume further.

Visual cues and formatting will help you meet that timeline to land the interview for your lucrative nonclinical career.

Resume formatting must be aligned with industry and occupational and professional standards.

A well-formatted resume stands out positively, has been written and designed strategically to match candidate qualifications to what the potential employer is looking for, is ATS compatible, and is easily adaptable for customization for multiple jobs.

Now, you know your technology skills best….so the decision to format your resume yourself or outsource it is entirely yours. Reading this article will help you pay attention to those details in either case. 

Optimize the top third of your resume

Note the visual center.

Give page one the highest ranking-ATS ranks the first page high.

Here is why resume formatting is essential: How you present your written resume content in writing matters if you want to stand out among the applicants. Proper design ensures your resume is scannable, highlighting the most critical information the employer needs to know while leaving out unnecessary gibberish. An attention-grabbing resume format covers the delicate balance of solid details and pleasant visual appeal.

You are probably saying to yourself...I am a doctor..not a graphic designer.

I hear you. 

You don’t need to be a graphic design guru to make your resume professional looking and learning these skills will help you quickly customize it when required, even if you outsource it for now.

Following is a list of items that can help you create ATS friendly resume that genuinely highlights your skills and experience for the potential employer and will land you your next nonclinical job interview:

Fonts and Symbols:

The Font you use should go well with your brand, occupation, industry. There are no rigid rules but some considerations that need to be kept in mind.

You may be inclined to ignore this little detail, but you mustn’t do.

The first impression on hiring managers, recruiters, employers are essential and are created by the imagery you use, and the fonts, icons, and layouts are just one piece of the puzzle.

Now you may wonder, what role do Fonts play in the context of personal branding, and why is it important?

Fonts associated with rigidity maturity and stability, Reliable Dependable

Since we are Visually oriented, fonts can set the tone of your marketing document, your nonclinical resume

Studies have shown typography to have a connection with the human mind

Fonts add personality affect the readability of the resume and whether it looks Professional or. Not

And among the Font families, your safest bet is Serif or Sans Serif, while Arial, Futura, and Papyrus are best avoided.

Use a universal font that will work smoothly for both Mac or Windows.

It is advised that you must not mix two many font styles (Stick to max 2 per resume to be safe) and keep it consistent throughout the document.

A comfortable font size would be anything that ranges from 9 - 12, but even this is not as clear-cut as it may sound, and that is because a size 0 Calibri may be too small, whereas a Size 10 Verdana may be too large

You don't want your resume to look crammed

The same Font in small caps may look small or too big.

Your name on the resume should be most prominent.

So we just touched on Font size and style.

Let us talk about Font enhancements.

Enhancements are the use of Bold, italics, underline, upper case small-cap color expanded font shading options and will contribute to design elements of your resume. 

Remember, consistency is the key, and we are aiming for a balanced professional look. 

How proportionate is your use of Font size? For example, Large size draws more attention and is eye-catching.

Similarly, italics downplays the significance or relevance. 

Large caps, Small caps, and mixed cases can all be used strategically for highlighting and guiding the reader’s eye to appropriate highlights.

A quick tip: Stick to modern fonts

You might wanna pay attention to Numbers in the fonts you use as well. Some numbers look funny when used in specific formatting and can appear like typos.

Font enhancements can make certain Font styles look more intense or subdued and emphasize areas that need to be highlighted.

Headings draw attention to sections. Use strategically.

Bullets should be used wisely. Don’t use more than 2 bullet styles in one resume. Keep bullet size consistent. Stick with commonly used bullets. 

Avoid picture symbols and emotions web dings and wingdings.

Here are some sites for free icons/symbols

Icons8.com

Freepik.com

Flaticon

Iconfinder

Symbols are used before accomplishments and or competency lists or to separate text as in address heading or competency list.

Whatever you do, stay consistent with design elements.

White space: 

White space is the unused space on your resume.

Proper use of white space can enhance the visual appeal of your resume, guiding the reader’s eye, for, e.g., when switching from one area to another, indicating the start or finish of an area.

White space allows the reader to pause and absorb all the excellent information you have shared. Without enough white space, your resume will look cramped as opposed to having enough room to breathe.

Margins:

0.5 or 1 inch all around the margin is ok.

Alignment 

Left alignment is commonly used for body text and makes it easier to read

Centre alignment is acceptable for elements of body text

Right alignment may be used for Letterheads.

Letterhead:

The letterhead should Reflect your brand.

Your name is the most prominent part of the letterhead

Contact includes city-state and zip code: street address is optional

Phone number and email address should be present on the letterhead

Include your Linkedin vanity URL if you have one

Do not use any live links

When it comes to content alignment, You can Align left, center, or use a mix of alignments.

Enhance your letterhead with color and graphics that go with your brand consistency is the key.

Use it on all the documents: cover letter, reference list, etc.

Consistency: 

Section headings, Font size and style, Company names, Job titles should all have a consistent look across the resume.

Spacing, Alignment, use of Bullet styles and size, Shading and 

Graphic lines should be used uniformly

Page breaks :

Do not break a paragraph or lines of text across pages.

Keep similar information together and Avoid large gaps of space at the bottom of page one.

It is Okay to tag the bottom of a page using -to be continued or similar wording.

Subsequent pages half to three-quarters of the page

When like sections are separated by a page break, remind the reader where they left off

Make sure you use Page break at the correct location

Headers and footers are not part of the body of the document formatted outside of margins.

Go ahead, use images that support the content of the resume and go well with the industry or profession.

Colors can complement your amazing resume content but should not overshadow it.

Simple graphics include page borders, lines, boxes, tables, and shading and can enhance visual appeal when used correctly and in an ATS-friendly way.

Use graphic lines above, below, or around headings for visual appeal

Choose a various line and border sizes and styles for a polished look

Do not put essential information in text boxes; ATS will not read it.

Fatal formatting errors to be avoided on your resume:

1. Too little or too big margins. You rarely need to go bigger than an inch all around, so pick a number and stick with it. 
2. Do not enter any essential info in the header or footer area (yes, your name counts as essential info). The Application tracking system cannot read this area.
3. Do not use erroneous hyperlinks.
4. Effectively use white space.
5. Do not use text boxes or tables. ATS cannot read anything inside text boxes or tables. Try using columns instead.
6. Use the whole page….C’mon, with all those accomplishments you have, you can come up with enough words to fill the entire darn page.
7. Too much font or symbol variety equals poor readability, which equals…. don't do it.
8. Inconsistent use of white space can make it look off-balance real quick. Pay attention to it. Know that recruiters come across a lot of resumes and will notice off-balance ones quickly. 
9. Don’t go crazy with color. I mean, seriously, just don’t. You do not need a tie and dye resume. 
10. Take some time to create your letterhead design. Seriously, one design can be used on so many documents, including cover letters and E notes. 
11. Make sure you don't forget to use the letterhead on that second page.
12. Large blocks of italicized or bold text are also a no. 

Avoid Widows and Orphan lines: Yes, you read that right...

A widow line is a paragraph ending line that falls on the following page or column and is therefore separated from the remainder text.

An Orphan line is a paragraph opening line that appears by itself at the bottom of a page-Orphans cause too much white space, thus causing the resume to look out of balance.

I know this is a lot of information. But remember, your resume is an essential piece of your job search puzzle.