Resume Template
Download our free, simple MS Word template which you can use to build or refine your resume. It includes tips and clear content examples to make resume building a breeze.
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To access MS Word for free online, set up a Microsoft account at office.com.
Did You Know?
Recruiters spend a matter of seconds reading your resume? It's true. With hundreds of resumes to screen, many recruiters spend only seconds scanning each one initially.
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This means your resume needs to make a strong first impression quickly.
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Making An Impression:
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Present relevant information clearly and succinctly - Try bolding high impact portions of your bullet points to draw the recruiter's eye
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Use quantitative data - Recruiters are looking for candidates who made an impact in their role(s). Include metrics and numeric data in some of your bullet points to demonstrate how you drove improvements.
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Avoid photos - Your beautiful smile is lovely, but recruiters may make snap judgements based on appearance. This can range from assumptions about race or gender, to judgements about clothing.
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Avoid vague graphics - While you may feel that graphics will help you stand out visually, they are often too unclear to provide meaningful insight into your skillset. Plus, they can make it challenging for the ATS (applicant tracking systtem) to parse data.
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KISS: Keep It Simple & Streamlined - For some roles, like creative directors and designers, a visually stunning resume is suitable. However, for most roles it's best to keep your format simple, i.e. one column with clearly marked sections and no superfluous graphics or images.
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PDF > Word format: Submitting your resume in PDF (portable document format) will keep the formatting intact. All industry standard ATS are able to parse data from a PDF file, so this is ideal. Submitting in .docX format is usually fine, however some ATS have a type of "quick review" workflow for recruiters which can display the resume with a botched format. Recruiters may skip over poorly displayed resumes instead of downloading them to view them correctly.
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