
Best Resume Format for 2023 (+ How to Format a Resume)
Want to choose the best resume format? First, you must understand the differences between the three main types. See examples of various resume formats and make an informed choice.
What should be the margins on a resume? How to set them right? Well, you don’t have to worry anymore. We’ve got your answers & some cool text alignment tips.
This is how it goes—
Resume margins should be 1 inch on all sides. Narrower margins would make the resume cluttered and overwhelming. If you need more space, the top margin can be reduced to 1/2-inch.
Want to find out more and learn how to set them in MS Word and Google Docs?
Read on.
In this article you’ll learn:
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Here’s the thing—
The standard margin size of a new document in MS Word and Google Docs is 1 inch all around.
And truth be told, the best margins for any resume are exactly the same. That is 1” for top, bottom, left, and right margin.
Why’s that so?
Readability.
To cut a long story short, margins are there to help you make any document more readable.
The standard document margins in combination with the default font settings limit the number of characters you can fit in a single line of text to about 90 at the maximum.
All this for readability and printability’s sake.
If you reduce the size of the margins too much, your document will not only look bad, but some text may end up outside the printable area of the page.
It’s safe to reduce page margins for a resume down to .5 inch at the maximum.
And one more thing:
Resume margins add white space to your document. And studies show that recruiters are likely to reject cluttered resumes with too little white space.
Expert Hint: It’s not just the margins that matter. Choosing the right resume font size and type is equally important for your resume to be as effective as possible.
Now—
Let’s have a quick look at the technicalities, shall we?
This is how you set resume margins in MS Word:
And this is it.
That’s how you set resume margins in MS Word.
Moving on to Google Docs—
This is how to set resume margins in Google Docs:
If you’re only interested in adjusting the left and right margins, just click and drag the little triangular pointers at the top of the page.
If you can't see them, go to View, and make sure Show Ruler is checked off.
Expert Hint: Once you decide how big the margins on your resume should be, check out our repository of resume writing guides for over 50 occupations.
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Your interest in resume margins proves one thing—
You’re detail-oriented and meticulous.
Which is great.
Now—
Here are a couple more resume formatting tips you may want to check out:
That’s standard text formatting for the vast majority of formal documents.
Why?
Left-aligned text is much easier to read as the left edge of a paragraph always marks the beginning of the next line. If you center-align the text, each line starts at a different point and the text is more strenuous for the eyes.
Expert Hint: The center-aligned text works well for short lines of text and headlines. That’s why it’s only advisable to use this kind of alignment in your resume header.
Justified text looks ugly unless you use some sophisticated desktop publishing software.
Why?
The justification algorithms of popular word processors are too basic to yield aesthetically pleasing results.
The only situation when justified text actually looks good is when you also hyphenate words that don’t fit into a line of text. If you don’t turn hyphenation on, you’ll get absurdly large spacing between the words.
Plus—
Studies on text readability clearly show that left-aligned text is much easier to read and scan, whereas justified text is more difficult to read for both poor and good readers alike.
Expert Hint: There’s more to writing a resume than setting appropriate margins and aligning the text correctly. Read our guide on how to write a resume to find out more.
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Here’s all you need to remember about resume margins:
Do you have any other questions about setting the best margins on a resume? Maybe you have some tips on resume page margins you’d like to share? We’d love to hear from you! Give us a shout out in the comments below!
Want to choose the best resume format? First, you must understand the differences between the three main types. See examples of various resume formats and make an informed choice.
Sometimes, a good resume isn’t enough. Find out how to make a perfect resume that proves you’re the best candidate for the job.
A professional resume outline can help you structure your resume and make the writing process as easy as 1-2-3. Let our resume outline examples and expert tips guide you through.