Letter Design
by
ResumeEdge.com
- The Net's Premier Resume Writing and Editing Service
Letterheads
It is so easy to create a letterhead all your own and to make it
match your resume. Just copy into a new document the name and address
you have already created for your resume. It couldn't be simpler!
It makes a very sharp impression when your cover letter and resume
match in every respect from paper color to font to letterhead.
Paper Colors
Color, like music, creates an atmosphere. Everyone knows that different
colors evoke different feelings. Red can make a person feel warm,
whereas blue does just the opposite.
Of course, you wouldn't want to use red in a
resume! . . . although an artist could get away with just about
any color. As a general rule, resume papers should be neutral or
light in color. After 20 years in the resume business, I have discovered
that brilliant white linen paper is still the most popular, followed
closely by a slightly off-white and then by shades of light gray.
Just make sure that the color of the paper you
choose is representative of your personality and industry and that
it doesn't detract from your message. For instance, a dark paper
color makes your resume hard to read.
In a scannable resume, never use papers with
a background (pictures, marble shades, or speckles). A scanner tries
to interpret the patterns and dots as letters. This is a good rule
to follow even for paper resumes that will never be scanned. Often
companies will photocopy resumes for hiring managers, and dark colors
or patterns will simply turn into dark masses that make your resume
difficult to read. If a company has multiple locations, the original
resume may even get faxed from one site to another and the same
thing happens.
The type of paper (bond, linen, laid, cover stock,
or coated) isn't as important, although it also projects an image.
Uncoated paper (bond, linen, laid) makes a classic statement. It
feels rich and makes people think of corporate stationery and important
documents. Coated stock recalls memories of magazines, brochures,
and annual reports. Heavy cover stock and laid paper can't be successfully
folded and don't hold the ink from a laser printer or copier very
well, so they must be handled gently. All of these factors play
a part in your paper choice.
Regardless of the paper you choose, mail your
resume flat instead of folded. It costs a few extra cents in postage
and a little more for the 9 12 envelope, but the impression it
makes is well worth the extra cost. It also helps with the scannability
of your resume. Thank you letters and other follow-up letters can
be folded in standard No. 10 business envelopes.
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Give Your Resume an Edge!
From Designing the Perfect Resume, by Pat Criscito.
Copyright 2000. Reprinted by arrangement with Barron's
Educational Series, Inc.
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