- 10 Steps to Creating a Resume That Will Blow Away the Competition – Step 1: White Space
- 10 Steps to Creating a Resume That Will Blow Away the Competition – Step 2: Bullet Points
- 10 Steps to Creating a Resume That Will Blow Away the Competition – Step 3: Aligning Bullets
- 10 Steps to Creating a Resume That Will Blow Away the Competition – Step 4: Paper
- 10 Steps to Creating a Resume That Will Blow Away the Competition – Step 5: Length
- 10 Steps to Creating a Resume That Will Blow Away the Competition – Step 6: Format
- 10 Steps to Creating a Resume That Will Blow Away the Competition – Step 7: Objectives
- 10 Steps to Creating a Resume That Will Blow Away the Competition – Step 8: Achievements
- 10 Steps to Creating a Resume That Will Blow Away the Competition – Step 9: Job Descriptions
- 10 Steps to Creating a Resume That Will Blow Away the Competition – Step 10: Education & Training
The paper you choose for your resume and cover letter is very important – especially if you are going to be mailing it, dropping it off, or bringing it with you to the interview.  Forget the fancy colours. White paper is best. Cream could also be used but I would be leery of using it since lots of resumes are scanned into computers for future retrieval and white paper with black text shows up better.
For the resumes I create for clients, I like to use 28 lb. bond paper. This weight makes the paper feel heavier and the resume look better. After all, it’s about the presentation and you want to make the best first impression possible.
Never photocopy your resume to be submitted to a prospective employer. That gives a bad first impression. Instead, each copy should be printed directly onto the bond paper using an inkjet or laser printer. Be sure to inspect each page for marks, smudges, and other imperfections. If you find any, reprint that page. After all, the price of a page of wasted paper is less than the price of a lost opportunity.
Next time, we discuss the length your resume should be.
Warmly,
