Margins for Resume
Setting up a resume is a nerve-racking experience. Especially if you’ve never done it or you’re applying for a high-tier dream job. So, you naturally want everything to be perfect.
There seem to be thousands of guides and templates available to help you with your resume online today. Still, one thing many of those guides commonly omit is the margin.
This is a problem since using the right margin will dramatically change the overall presentation of your resume. Why is it important, what does it do, and what should the margins be on a resume? Let’s find out.
Why Are Resume Margins Important?
Resume margins are important for two main reasons: Professionalism and presentation.
In terms of professionalism, a proper margin will make your resume look neat, tidy, and as if you put more than two seconds of thought into creating it. It also leaves room for the employer to jot notes as they sift through the many applications on their desk.
Beyond giving your resume a professional appearance, the right margin size can make a new worker’s unimpressive resume look a little more fleshed out than it already is.
Let’s face it. Employers expect a lot from you, even when you haven’t had an opportunity to build a long work history or many accomplishments.
If you turn in a barren resume, they’ll probably pass you up even if you can technically excel. Using a standard resume margin can tighten up your resume and make it look more substantial, garnering more attention from the person sifting through resumes.
What Should the Margins Be on a Resume?
The standard recommended resume margins are 1 inch.
1-inch margins put distance between your resume's content and the page's edge. This gives room for notes and tidies up all the information in your resume to create a uniform appearance.
As mentioned earlier, these resume margins also tend to tighten up your resume, which can visually help if you’re new to the workforce.
It is possible to make small adjustments to this, though. If your resume is well fleshed out and has plenty of information, or its overall design theme looks a bit cramped with 1-inch margins, you can make the margins slightly smaller.
Can I Have 0.5 Margins on My Resume?
It's okay to use margins of at least 0.5 inches on a resume, as this will create a balanced and professional-looking layout.
Using smaller margins may make the text on your resume feel cramped and difficult to read, while using too large margins may create the document feel too spacious and cause important information to be overlooked.
Wrapping Up | Resume Margins
A margin seems like a minor detail, but it can make or break a resume at the end of the day. That doesn’t mean it outweighs the importance of its contents, though.
Put forth your best effort, use a tried and proven resume design, and take advantage of a 1-inch margin; you’ll stand out from the crowd and score that dream job in no time.
Your resume layout needs to look great, and many say it starts with the right resume margins. Best of luck!
Title: What Should The Margins Be On A Resume?
Category: Resume
Tags: margins for resume, margins, what should resume margins me, what resume margin should I use, guide to resume margins, standard margins for resume
Co-Author: Reid is a contributor for theJub. He's an employment and marketing enthusiast who studied business before taking on various recruiting, management, and marketing roles. More from the author. | Author Profile
