The 1st step in writing your résumé is to create what résumé writers call the “heading”, and it’s the easiest part to do. The heading simply includes your name, complete address including city, state and zip code, your contact information (home number and/or cell number), and your email address, so the hiring party knows who you are and how to reach you. A PO Box should not be used, and your email should be a professional one. Those fancy and naughty email addresses are a big turn-off. So, don’t use “[email protected]”. Save that for your facebook friends!
While the heading is not hard to put together even for an amateur, you still want to make sure it’s reader friendly and visually pleasing to the reader. Remember, this is your marketing tool and your brand. So, you want to present yourself in the best way possible. Typically your name should be in big bold letters, caps, and a larger font than the rest of your résumé, but not so large that it’s distracting to the reader. I typically use a size 16″ font.
As you can see I got creative with my heading. As I said previously you have 8-10 seconds to grab the reader’s attention. You don’t want your résumé to be cookie-cutter or from a template that’s a turn-off. You want to create your résumé from scratch. It shows you took the time to put it together, put some thought into it and you cared about how it looked. That speaks to your work ethic. Do you take the time and effort to do important things right? Or, do you just throw something together and hope for the best? Think about that the next time you look at your résumé. It is an important document.
I use borders when I create my heading. Borders grab the reader’s attention, and takes them where you want them to go. Don’t assume your résumé will get read just because you sent it. The survey says; employers not only care about what it says but how it looks as well. It has to look right, sound right, and feel right, but don’t over do it! If you noticed my heading also has the position I am looking for. It shows the reader I know what I want and what I want to do. Especially if the employer is hiring in several different areas. If you don’t know what you want or what you are looking for, then neither do they! And, no one is going to figure that out for you. My heading also highlights my greatest achievements, and lists three examples of what I am expert in, presented in a professional way. This way the reader can tell quickly if I am qualified for the job and if they want to call me in for an interview because I have sparked their interest. And, I did it within the 8-10 seconds I spoke about earlier. What do you think?
Your take-away:
Always make your document look professional. It should be visually pleasing to the eye and reader friendly. Never use a PO Box for your address, and your email address should be a professional one. The telephone numbers you use should be ones the employer can reach you at. Your heading should also include the position you are looking for or at the industry you want to work in, then add in at least 3 or 4 of your greatest accomplishments to spark the reader’s interest in you. Be creative but don’t over do it. Borders help to grab the reader’s attention and take them where you want them to go, but don’t get fancy. Fancy doesn’t work anymore, keep it simple.
I hope this helps to get you started in creating your own résumé. The heading is the most important part of your document. Why? Because not only is it the 1st thing the reader sees, you only have 8-10 seconds to spark their interest. They may never get to your work history, so why keep the best of you at the end? You need to move the best upfront where it counts more. If you got to the end of this blog, then I sparked your interest! See what I mean?
Need help? Send me an email and I can give you some tips on making your résumé stand out!