Resume Template – Start with an Effective Base

If you’re looking to freshen up your resume or if you’re starting over from scratch, a resume template is the easiest way to create a “starting point” for your resume.  These templates are already formatted into sections and make resume writing simple and effective.  These come in handy if you’re not the best writer in the world or if you want to save money by not hiring a professional resume writing service.  You can write an effective resume on your own, and there’s nothing saying that using a template is such a bad idea.

A resume template is often filled with generic information about a made up person (often named John or Jane Doe) and filler words in the body.  This makes it simple to cut out the filler and replace it with your information.  What you want is the design and the layout.  Legible words and a hard partitioning between sections is a must for a solid, well put together resume.  Templates also let you delete the sections you don’t need and add sections you wish to include.  As long as you can follow the design so everything flows well, resume writing becomes a snap.

However, some caution must be exercised here.  Not all templates work well.  The goal of a resume is to let someone know about what you can bring to the table for their company in a page or two.  The color of the paper and the uniqueness of the font are not going to cover up for a lack of experience or an irrelevant degree.  The content of the resume still matters, and while using a resume template is a good idea so you have some basis on which to build from, it is not going to land a job for you or save your resume from ending up in the “no” pile.  This is where creativity and writing skills come in handy.

If you’re drawing a blank as to how to start writing your resume, using a resume template gives you a simple place to begin writing your perfect resume.  It may sound cliché, but remember to tailor the content of your resume to each employer you send one to.  It’s become acceptable for companies to send out form letters, but sending out a form resume, no matter how pretty or unique it looks, shows a lack of preparedness and will get your resume tossed in the trash just as quickly as a resume written in boring old traditional Times New Roman font.