Resume layouts: what are the differences?

Many of us who have come across different resume layouts when we set out to write a resume. Sometimes, these different templates do nothing better than to actually confuse us. When we come across terms such two-column, one-column layouts, we really do not know whether they are important to us or they will affect our job application.

Now, what do they mean and does the format you pick really matter?

In this article, I’d like to pick out the definitions of these different layouts and how they might affect the choice of template that you pick, depending on the type of job you are applying for and your level of qualification.

The first and most common of all resume layouts is the one-column layout. Chances are high that if you have ever made a resume, it looks like this. As the name suggest, the column has got only one column in which every thing runs from top bottom.

The information is classified in such a way as the same things are blocked together in ever row. In addition, a line separates each of these rows. This is a bit more traditional and is good if you apply to an organization that you do not know its culture and where they want this do be done in a certain way. For example if the advertisement they have specified on how the want say, the references to be laid out have also define the color of the envelop, then you know that these guys are not going to tolerate any deviation from tradition.

The second type among resume layouts is the two column resume. This type of resume is bent on ensuring that it is a bit more creative and you can use to it some jobs that won’t mind some deviation from tradition. Here, the heading is put on the left and the description or explanation is put on the right hand side. There are things such as job history, career objective and others are on the left.

We also have the centered resume where are the name suggests, the resume is centered and all the information is at the center. It is slightly similar to one column resume layouts and it’s biggest advantage is that it helps create a semblance of order when in real sense, you do knot know which direction to take. It comes when you want to be creative, but you are not so sure how safe you will be if you stray away from tradition. Therefore, you get stuck in the middle. The greatest disadvantage is that they can be pretty hard to read as the layout crams so many words on the same page.