English 421Y: Technical Writing Online

My initial thoughts when looking at this resume are that it is extremely clean. The name is easily identifiable, along with the contact information. It seems to correctly follow the top to bottom left to right reading path that the reader’s eyes will follow.

There are a few issues that should be pointed out about this resume. Though it may be somewhat difficult to really straighten up everything, this resume doesn’t pass the column test at all. The headings on the left edge of the page aren’t really in alignment as they go down. For example OBJECTIVE is aligned on the left side of the actual objective, but then others are aligned on top of the actual information. The column test also doesn’t quite pass going along where the dates are located. The spacing of the Skills and technologies section is different than the rest of the resume, this breaks things up but it also gives it an unorganized feeling.

In your objective statement you use the word play. I don’t know if it is just me or not, but I wouldn’t use the word play. Seeing as this is one of the first things that the resume reader may read, it should be as professional as possible. The objective statement should also end with a period, and the object statement title being all CAPS is not something I’m sure is necessary here.

This resume certainly seems like it would be scanable, as it doesn’t contain any lines or odd columns. The font used is clean and there seems to be a good amount of white space vs. the amount of text and information.

Thanks!
JFlitt

I definitely like the layout of your resume, it seems 90% of us have the same general design, its nice to see something a bit different. What I noticed first is that your objective statement is company-specific. I'd consider revising this. If you're applying for a job at Pixar, odds are they already know you'd like to work there. A resume shouldn't be a tool to glorify a company, but rather a way to show them how specifically you can add value to what they do. Perhaps an objective statement that focuses on the specific work you'd like to apply your background to would serve your objective statement better.

Besides that I think your resume is very clean. I'm not sure if including your high school info is relevant, maybe its time to scratch that off. Also I noticed an extra comma at the end of the "graphic design" subheading. It seems that little things like these can actually make or break getting an interview in very competitive positions.