Last two positions I have applied for/gotten, I was scooped up with enthusiasm. I’ve seen my fair share of IT resumes (not so much as a recruiter, but advising on appropriate skills – usually to replace me), and it’s fairly evident that in most cases, the resumes were extremely basic in presentation.

Simple bold text, black and white, and nothing eyecatching. Is this the norm?

I’ve always spent hours on my resume, meticulously grooming it, presenting it like a professional document. My bullet points for different jobs are extremely detailed, and I occasionally get told it’s too much detail… Yet it works for me.

I really wonder – do simple resumes, with little to no presentation, convey a person’s true value? Would a simple touch of color get you further?

Of course, a resume is nothing if you can’t pass the interview process. But getting that interview in the first place can be difficult.

Additional note: some recruitment agencies remove formatting etc to standardise the look of their candidate’s resumes. Efforts to pretty up your resume may be wasted in some cases!