Which Two Types of Résumés Can Be Formatted to be Visually Appealing?

Which Two Types of Résumés Can Be Formatted to be Visually Appealing? We get this question quite a bit. If you are here reading this blog article, odds are that you are in the job market or simply looking for tips on how to update your resume to be a competitive candidate. You are in the right place.

When it comes to resume improvement, knowing which two types of resumes can be formatted to be visually appealing puts you ahead of the game. Most people forget about the dynamics involved in updating a resume, so staying aware gives you a fair advantage. 

Next, we will talk a bit more about the different types of resumes before we go any further into detail about specific resume formatting. As you can imagine, the type of resume you use to submit for a job vacancy or to upload into a resume parser software depends on the job role and hiring practices of the hiring organization.

Four Types of Resumes You Should Know 

There are several types of resumes that have different formats with a shared purpose. The primary purpose of any resume, no matter the format, is to spotlight you and your qualifications to successfully perform in a particular job role.

Employers and human resource professionals use advanced CV parsing software to help screen resumes faster rather than evaluating each individual resume manually. Imagine having more than 1,000 job application submissions for one available job role. It can get daunting to say the least.  

It is also common for HR professionals to have to screen several resume submissions that are not even closely related to the job description – on top of the sheer volume of resume submissions. Our hats off to hiring managers who deal with these challenges on a daily basis. 

The point we are trying to make here is that your resume must stick out to get noticed and eventually hired. Your resume should stick out in these three ways:

1. Your resume must be visually appealing.
2. Your resume must be tailored to the job description.
3. Your resume must be formatted correctly.

The last one is often forgotten. Format your resume according to the resume parsing techniques that are specific to certain resume formats. Here are the four types of resumes you should know and the respective formats for each:

Print Resume 

What is a print resume? A print resume is a document that is physically printed to provide to a hiring manager or recruiter. It can be printed on different types of paper such as resume paper, which is thicker and more durable than standard printing paper. 

Print resumes can also be printed on colorful paper and have added scent. Yet, best practice is to keep your resume simple and on white paper because it is easier on the recruiter’s eye than color paper. However, whatever you want to do to make your resume stand out is completely up to your own discretion. 

Scannable Resume 

What is a scannable resume? A scannable resume is a resume that is often electronic or presented in a scannable PDF document. Online resume parsers or other CV/resume parsing tools screen scannable resumes using applicant tracking systems (ATS) or keyword scanning tools. 

A scannable resume must highlight key terms and keywords that match with the job description to be selected.  A hiring manager can proceed to review the resumes that meet the criteria of the scan but it is unlikely that your resume will make the cut if the relevant keywords and keyword phrases are not within your scannable resume. 

Electronic Resume 

What is an electronic resume? An electronic resume presents resume formats that are compatible with online software and sharing capabilities. Electronic resumes can be online PDF versions of the print resume or compatible with other online software. 

Web Resume 

What is a web resume? These days a web resume can take the form of a social media profile such as on LinkedIn or even an online portfolio. Web resumes can be interactive and a bit more visually appealing than a standard print resume because hiring managers and HR professionals can easily access it online. 

Web content has more flexibility in design, can leverage search engine optimization techniques, and should still maintain resume best practices. 

Now based on the resume descriptions, which two types of resumes can be formatted to be visually appealing and get the most out of a resume parsing tool? 

How to Make Print and Web Resumes Visually Appealing?

You guessed it! Print resumes and web resumes are the two resume formats that can be made visually appealing for the best resume parsing software to be effective. 

Your resume should adhere to common formatting best practices in all formats, including print and web. Here are a few of those best practices:

• Limit the number of pages to your resume. Your resume should not exceed three pages or show experience beyond the last five to 10 years. Otherwise switch to a curriculum vitae (CV) to list academic research and extended portfolio experience. 
• Maintain consistent fonts and font sizes. Try to make sure your resume has consistency in structure and formatting. Use Times New Roman throughout the resume rather than switch fonts from top to bottom of the resume. The same thing applies to font sizes. Your section headings, bullet points and so on should maintain a consistent font size. 
• Keep it simple. Standing out can sometimes mean being having the most clarity and straightforward format. Just keep it simple and let your experience speak for itself rather than overcomplicate the resume with excessive sections, colors, or tables. Remember you want your resume to be compatible with a resume parsing system online. 
• Tailor the resume to the job. Not all job descriptions are the same even though they may be similar depending on the industry that you work in. Make sure you tailor your resume to align with the job description. Some techniques include placing more relevant experience further up instead of in chronological order or adding keywords into your summary.

Once you follow these best practices, making the print resume and web resume visually appealing is easy. Put yourself in the recruiter or hiring managers shoes and think about how they do their job and use resume parsers. 

Maintain a simple and clean structure. List your job accomplishments rather than broad descriptions to fully showcase your qualifications to get the job done. 

Whether you are submitting a print resume or web resume for a job role or uploading these formats into a CV/resume parsing software, you are sure to get the best results when the resume format follows these guidelines.