How to Make an Easy Resume in Microsoft Word (latest)

Xamplio
20 Jun 202008:37

TLDRThis tutorial guides you through creating a professional resume in Microsoft Word with a clear and easy-to-read format. It covers setting up margins, choosing the right font size, and organizing contact information. The video also explains how to structure the resume with headings for skills, experience, and education, and offers tips on listing quantifiable achievements and relevant keywords to catch the attention of recruiters and applicant tracking systems.

Takeaways

  • 📄 Start with a blank Microsoft Word document to create your resume.
  • 📐 Update the margins to narrow for a cleaner look, using half-inch margins.
  • ✍️ Modify the 'Normal' style to use a smaller font size, like 10, for a more compact resume.
  • 📞 Add your contact information in a two-by-one table format, ensuring it's easy for employers to reach you.
  • 🔗 Avoid automatic hyperlinking of your email address in the contact information.
  • 🔑 Align your name to the bottom left and contact details to the bottom right for a balanced layout.
  • 🌟 Make your name stand out by increasing the font size to 28 or 30, depending on the length of your name.
  • 📝 Organize your resume with clear sections for Skills, Experience, and Education, separated by double spacing.
  • 💼 Use a three-column table for listing your skills with bullet points, ensuring no borders for a clean look.
  • 📈 Highlight your most recent job experience, using action verbs and quantifiable achievements.
  • 🎓 Include your education with the degree earned, university name, and graduation date, assuming a mid-career resume.
  • 🔑 Use formatting tools like 'Format Painter' to maintain consistency across sections.

Q & A

  • What is the first step in setting up a resume in Microsoft Word according to the transcript?

    -The first step is to update the margins by going to the Layout tab and selecting narrow margins from the margins dropdown, which gives you half-inch margins.

  • Why is it recommended to modify the normal style to font size 10 in the resume setup?

    -The transcript suggests modifying the normal style to font size 10 because it provides a bit more room to write the resume content and is easier for both recruiters and robots to read.

  • How should the contact information be formatted in the resume?

    -The contact information should be formatted in a two by one table, with the margins set to zero for left and right to align with the page margins. The full name goes in the left box, and the contact details, such as phone number, email, and physical address, go in the right box.

  • Why is it important to align the contact information to the bottom right and the name to the bottom left?

    -Aligning the contact information to the bottom right and the name to the bottom left helps to create a clean and professional look for the resume, ensuring that the content is neatly arranged.

  • How can the skills section be made to stand out on the resume?

    -The skills section can be made to stand out by giving it a bottom border, increasing the font size to about eighteen or twenty, and using the Format Painter tool to apply the same formatting to the experience and education sections.

  • What is the recommended way to list skills in the resume?

    -Skills should be listed in a three-column table with a bullet list, ensuring there are no table borders for a cleaner look. The skills listed should match keywords from the job description.

  • How should the experience section be formatted in the resume?

    -The experience section should start with the most recent job, listing the month and year started, followed by 'present' if currently employed. The job title, company name, and city and state should be aligned to the right, with a bulleted list of quantifiable achievements and specific accomplishments below.

  • What is the significance of using action verbs in the bullet points of the experience section?

    -Using action verbs in the bullet points implies that the candidate gets things done and helps to make the resume an interesting read for the hiring manager. It also aids in standing out when the resume is scanned by robots.

  • Why is it important to include keywords from the job posting in the experience section?

    -Including keywords from the job posting helps the resume to rank higher in applicant tracking systems and makes it easier for recruiters to identify relevant experience during the review process.

  • How should the education section be formatted in the resume?

    -The education section should list the degree or certificate earned, the university or school name, and the city and state. The date of graduation should be listed in the format of month and year, or 'graduating' if not yet graduated.

  • What is the purpose of creating a resume that is easy for recruiters and robots to read?

    -Creating a resume that is easy for recruiters and robots to read ensures that the resume will be effectively scanned by applicant tracking systems and will stand out to recruiters, increasing the chances of getting an interview.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Resume Setup Basics

This paragraph outlines the initial steps for setting up a resume in a simple and effective manner. It starts with adjusting the document margins to narrow for more writing space. The script suggests modifying the normal style to use a smaller font size and a specific font, Donna, for better readability. Contact information is then added using a table with no margins to ensure alignment with page margins, and it's advised to include a full name, phone number, email, and physical address for better interview opportunities. The paragraph also covers how to make the resume visually appealing by adjusting font sizes and removing table borders.

05:02

🔑 Crafting the Skills and Experience Sections

The second paragraph focuses on creating the skills and experience sections of the resume. It advises starting with a three-column table for listing skills in bullet points, ensuring the skills match job description keywords. The script emphasizes the importance of not fabricating skills to avoid fraudulent claims. For the experience section, it details how to format the dates and job details, including starting with the most recent job and using action verbs to describe achievements. The paragraph also stresses the significance of including quantifiable experiences and achievements, and the use of relevant keywords from the job posting to enhance the resume's appeal to applicant tracking systems and human reviewers.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Resume

A resume is a document used by individuals to present their relevant skills, experiences, and education to potential employers. It serves as a summary of a person's professional background and is often the first impression made on a hiring manager. In the video, the creation of an easy-to-read resume in Microsoft Word is the central focus, with the aim of making it appealing to both recruiters and automated systems.

💡Margins

Margins refer to the space between the content of a document and its edges. In the context of the video, adjusting the margins to 'narrow' provides a cleaner and more compact layout for the resume, which is essential for maintaining a professional appearance and ensuring that the resume is easy to scan.

💡Normal Style

The 'Normal Style' in Microsoft Word is a default paragraph style that can be modified to apply consistent formatting throughout a document. The video suggests changing the font to Calibri, size 10, which is a common choice for resumes due to its readability and professional appearance.

💡Contact Information

Contact information is the set of details that allows potential employers to get in touch with the job applicant. This typically includes the full name, phone number, email address, and sometimes a physical address. In the script, inserting a table to display this information is highlighted as a crucial step in resume creation.

💡Table

In Microsoft Word, a table is a grid of cells that can be used to organize information in a structured format. The video script describes using a two-by-one table to neatly present the applicant's contact details, emphasizing the importance of alignment and the removal of table borders for a clean look.

💡Skills

Skills are the abilities and competencies that a job applicant possesses, which are relevant to the position they are applying for. The video emphasizes listing skills in a three-column table with bullet points, ensuring that they match keywords from the job description to increase the chances of being selected by applicant tracking systems.

💡Experience

Work experience is a section of a resume that outlines an individual's professional history, including job titles, companies, durations, and key achievements. The script provides guidance on formatting this section with action verbs and quantifiable achievements to make the resume stand out to recruiters.

💡Education

Education refers to the academic qualifications and training that an individual has received. In the context of a resume, it typically includes degrees earned, the institutions attended, and the dates of graduation. The video suggests a straightforward approach to this section, focusing on the essentials for a mid-career resume.

💡Bullet Points

Bullet points are used to create a list in a document, making information easier to read and digest. The video script recommends using bullet points to list skills and experiences, which helps in presenting the information in a clear and concise manner.

💡Action Verbs

Action verbs are words that describe actions or behaviors and are used to start bullet points in a resume's experience section. They convey a sense of initiative and accomplishment. The video emphasizes the importance of using varied action verbs to make the resume engaging and to demonstrate the applicant's proactive approach.

💡Keywords

Keywords in a resume are specific terms or phrases that match those used in a job description or industry. They are crucial for optimizing a resume for applicant tracking systems and for catching the eye of recruiters. The video script advises incorporating these keywords from the job posting into the resume's skills and experience sections.

Highlights

Starting with a blank document to create a resume in Microsoft Word.

Updating margins to narrow for more writing space.

Modifying the normal style to font size 10 for consistency.

Adding contact information using a two by one table.

Aligning content to page margins for a cleaner look.

Detailing how to format the name and contact information.

Removing table borders for a professional appearance.

Creating sections for skills, experience, and education.

Using line and paragraph spacing to make sections stand out.

Adding a bottom border and increasing font size for emphasis.

Using the format painter tool for consistent formatting.

Entering skills in a three-column table with bullet points.

Focusing on quantifiable achievements for the experience section.

Using action verbs and avoiding repetition for bullet points.

Incorporating job posting keywords to enhance resume visibility.

Efficiently updating job information with consistent formatting.

Formatting the education section with graduation details.

The importance of aligning dates and details for readability.

Encouraging viewers to like, comment, and subscribe for support.

Wishing viewers luck in their job hunt and thanking them for watching.