The first impression: Making it count - InDesign Tutorial

- [Narrator] Your resume is the very first thing most hiring managers and recruiters will see, so it's got to make a great impression. You may have the world's most fantastic portfolio of creative work, or you might be the most entertaining and brilliant person in the room, but no one will ever get a chance to know if your resume doesn't show off your wonderful qualities right off the bat. Your resume is your one big chance to hit a home run. I know that sounds like a lot of pressure, but I promise that this course will get you there. First let's talk about what you need to accomplish on the all important single page. And yes, a professional resume should always be a single page. Hiring managers are super busy people and when they're looking at hundreds of resumes they definitely don't want to look any further then one page. Even the longest career can be shaped and edited to work well on a single page. There are many ways to design a great resume. Whether a recruiter is looking at your resume online or as a printed piece, it should show you at your very best. Everything should be a conscious and careful choice. The exact wording you choose, the overall look of the page, including clear hierarchy of information, ease of navigation, appropriate typography and possibly imagery. Everything should work in harmony to impress the recruiter in that all important first glance. The top part of your resume is your most valuable real estate, your name, contact information and link to online samples or portfolio must be at the top, like these three examples. This vital information should be easy to see and read at a glance. I've seen resumes with contact info at the bottom or side, or in a type, size or style or color that's hard to read. Don't frustrate recruiters, they expect that information to be easy to find. What about those profiles or summaries that seem to be at the tops of many resumes occupying valuable space on your one page resume. Here's a real example, despite what you may think, most hiring managers skip right over these. They're looking for your credentials and qualifications. Many of these profiles or summaries are simply puff pieces. I hate to say this, but no one places a lot of trust in your own high opinion of yourself. What carries more weight is what others say about you. Testimonials from former colleagues, clients, or supervisors are more believable and influential. If you have a good quote from a former manager like this one, include it. Recent grads often include their objectives at the top of their resumes. Here's another real example, I have to be blunt, the truth is recruiters aren't interested in your objectives. Hiring managers aren't altruistic, they don't want to know what they can do for you, they only want to know what you can do for them. Instead, focus on your accomplishments, your awards, all of the extras like volunteerism that demonstrate your professionalism, your character and your worth. Here's a real example, my critically acclaimed Morning Man alarm app has a 4+ rating in the iTunes store. Using an example like that will make a recruiter sit up and pay attention.