5 tips for designing a resume that will stand out on every desk

I think I have mentioned this on the blog before, but one of my favorite things to do in my free time is help friends with their resumes. I can design a resume in my sleep at this point! If you subscribe to my newsletter, you know that I read a lot of articles about how to put your best foot forward in your resume. I consider myself an amateur expert in resumes.

Obviously, I am not an expert expert. But I have designed a lot of resumes for people who end up with really great jobs and internships. (Let me be clear: those people are awesome, and they deserve their great jobs and internships! But having a professional and appropriate resume is an important cog in the machine of getting them the work they deserve.)

I have a few rules for designing a resume that I wanted to share with y'all now.

1. Use a program you're comfortable with.

There are a couple of different options when it comes to designing and formatting your resume. Using a simple word processor, like Microsoft Word, whatever app is downloaded on a Mac or a Google Doc, is always safe — especially if you're not comfortable with more complicated programs. If you are comfortable with the Adobe suite, I fully recommend using InDesign. InDesign makes sure things are lined up and makes changing and removing/adding things really simple. Other people I know have used Illustrator, and I really only recommend using Illustrator for your resume if you are planning on using graphic elements.

If you'd like to be a little more creative or have more flexibility with your resume design but do not have InDesign or know how to use it, try Canva! It's a free online software that almost anyone can use. I've redesigned several resumes on it for friends.

The most important part of this: If you're going to use a program, make sure it's a program that you can access regularly and easily. Don't make your resume with InDesign if you only can use InDesign on a school computer that you have access to Monday through Friday, or that you won't be able to use after you graduate. I have the Creative Suite on my laptop, so I can fix my resume or add things to it or completely redesign it whenever, if I am so inclined.

2. Use one to two simple fonts, max. Avoid scripts. Use different sizes, styles and spacing.

My favorite font to use for resumes, hands down, is Myriad Pro – I usually use Condensed or Semi-Condensed, but this isn't a consistently available font. Other good sans serif choices: Calibri, Droid Sans, Verdana, Trebuchet, Arial Narrow. If you feel like a serif font is more your style, try Cambria, Droid Serif, Times New Roman, Georgia and Garamond. Droid Serif is my favorite serif for resumes.

Get comfortable with changing the size or bold of your fonts, too. I like to use a combination of bold, regular and condensed versions of Myriad Pro for different headers and body text. I also change the spacing of my font in my headers.

You want to avoid two things specifically with fonts:

No. 1: Nothing stands out on your page because you use the exact same font throughout. I've seen too many resumes that are completely all Times New Roman, size 11. It's hard to skim and see what you really consider is important. No. 2: It is totally wild and crazy because you're using several fonts that are eclectic or hard to read.

3. Keep it simple, unless you're a graphic designer.

I am not a graphic designer. As far as fields go, mine is pretty straightforward and traditional – design elements do not impress people in journalism. Because they aren't needed. If you're a graphic designer and are trying to show a potential employer your design chops, you can pretty much ignore my rules of resume design.

But other than the field of graphic design … keep it simple. Design elements are only really appropriate if the job you're applying to is creative — if you're looking to work at a newspaper or in business or marketing or another more traditional field, simplicity is important and looks more professional.

The one place where a little creativity is more acceptable than other places is in your header — and even then, it depends on the job you're applying for and the field you want to get into. Using your logo or a different font, maybe a simple accent color, can help make your resume stand out. But again, make sure it's simple and not too loud.

4. Emphasize consistency in every single detail.

If you use bullet points, use them consistently throughout. If you're going to explain each job or experience in a sentence, do that for every job or experience. If the font you use to describe one job is 12 pt., use 12 pt. in the other job descriptions too. And for goodness' sake, make sure your spacing is consistent throughout, too.

Consistency matters so much in a resume, both in content and design — especially if you consider how few minutes a hiring manager might have to spend on your resume. They might notice your entire list of skills at the bottom but they also might notice a huge discrepancy if your columns are out of line or your font size changes halfway through. That makes you look sloppy or like you lack an attention to detail that might be necessary in the job you're applying for – even if you are perfect for it in every other way.

5. Make sure your name stands out at the top.

I mentioned using a different font, an accent color or your logo to make your name stand out at the top of your resume — but mainly, you should just make sure your name is big, bold and easy to read across the top of your resume. Mine is very large, but that's a stylistic choice. I definitely recommend using at least a 22 or 24 weight font.

And make sure your important and most relevant contact information comes right after your name. On a lot of websites, you'll see they preach the importance of including a cell and home phone, your home address and your email address. I have some opinions on that: Your cell phone and email address are important, keep those, but scratch your physical address. No one needs that anymore. Replace that with your LinkedIn, website URL or Twitter handle, if any of those are appropriate to your career path.

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If you are in need of some resume help, don't hesitate to reach out! You can email me at thedailypaigeblog@gmail.com with a copy of your current resume for a free critique or comment all of your resume questions below! If I get enough frequently asked questions, I will do a post answering all of them!

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how to find a side hustle that is actually right for you

I am all about side hustles. At any given time, I probably have two or three side projects (or am attempting to make a fourth or even a fifth work out for me). If you were wondering, on top of my full-time job with McClatchy, I also sell Lularoe with my mom and run this blog and my accompanying Instagram. Lularoe consistently makes me a small amount of money each month, and my blog is more inconsistent but it is still some income and some free products – all of which I'm happy with, because I enjoy blogging as a hobby, too.

As we read more and more about how millennials are crippled by student loan debt, forced to work for very little (or even no) pay for internships or entry level jobs to break into their desired field and struggling with rising rent costs, healthcare and, you know, feeding themselves. I know that as far as millennials go, I am lucky – I live in a more affordable city and have a job and no debt to worry about – and I am thankful for it. But I push myself to increase my income however and wherever I can and save that money, so if I ever lose my job or have to take on debt, I am prepared to handle it.

A quick note as we begin: I do not have a bad taste in my mouth for companies like Lipsense, Lularoe, Stella & Dot and other multi-level marketing companies like that. If you do, that's fine, but I've sold Lularoe for more than a year and I can truly tell you that if you look at it like a business,

When I say side hustle, I mean things like...

• Dog-walking or sitting services, like Wag or Rover.

• Blogging and using affiliate programs.

• Drive for Uber or Lyft.

• Deliver food for Postmates or DoorDash (depending on where you live).

• Offer your various services on Fiverr or Upwork.

• Transcribe audio files and videos for companies using websites like TranscribeMe.

• Open up an Etsy shop to sell your wares. 

• Sign up to sell a product with a company like Lularoe or DoTerra or Lipsense.

There are so many options out there!

Question #1: What are you interested in? What do you absolutely hate?

Do you love dogs – or hate dogs? Do you love to write, are you a fast typer, do you do excellent design work? Or are computers the bane of your existence? Do you spend a lot of time in the car or like to drive? Or are you a terrible driver? Do you love grocery shopping? There's a service for that!

Question #2: What is your ideal investment, of both time and money?

Ask yourself if you need a flexible schedule or if you can dedicate a specific amount of time each day. Do you want to make money consistently or as you need it?

As far as time goes, you'll spend far more time each day going to someone's home to watch or walk their pet than you might writing a blog from your computer or transcribing, and some side hustles are more flexible – you can drive for Uber or Lyft whenever it works for you, but it's less flexible than opening up an Etsy shop where you work on your own schedule, whenever you can.

And as far as money goes, there are certain side hustles that require more time investment than others. Lularoe, for example, is a $10,000 investment. Dog-sitting might not require an investment at all, other than time. Blogging might require you to pay $20 for a domain. Every side hustle does have a very different time and money investment, and be aware of what your limits are.

Question #3: How much income do you want to bring in?

When I was selling Stella & Dot, a multi-level marketing company that sells truly adorable jewelry (by the way, I stopped because of my own time commitment to selling, not because of any issues with the company; it's really great) my sponsor told me to visualize how much money I wanted to make each month and then do the work to get there. So, be aware of how much money you want to make and how much work/time it will require to make it. Do some math.

And be aware that you may have to wait. Although I make a little bit of money each week from affiliate programs like ShopStyle and the Google Adsense ads that I run on my blog, I only get paid when those accounts reach $100 – so it can take a while. If you need more instant gratification/payment, look towards avenues that pay out more quickly. If you're not OK with paying fees or only earning a percentage of what you actually make, be aware of what you're getting into.

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Do you have a side hustle? What tips do you have for others who are seeking some extra income?

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how to stay productive when you work from home

If you haven't heard me talk about this before, I truly don't know how, but I do work from home at least 75 percent of the time, when I'm not traveling to our various newsrooms. My boss is centered in Austin, Texas, and the other members of our team are in Vermont, D.C., Fort Worth... a little bit of everywhere.

I work from the comfort of my home and my laptop, and now that I'm going on a year with McClatchy, I can say that I am almost an expert at productively working from home. It's the productively that I struggle with from time to time.

But I've gathered some tips and advice and some of my own mistakes and learning experiences here, in case you've suddenly wandered into an opportunity that allows you to work from home.

Set a morning routine and stick to it. I don't advocate for waking up early if that's not your jam, but I do think that everyone should have a routine that they stick to whenever they're working, regardless of when they choose to wake up and start their day. Know what your routine is and keep it going from day to day. It will get you in the right state of mind to start your day. Most people have the time it takes them to get ready for work plus their morning commute to prepare, but if you work from home, you don't.

Actually get ready. Don't think that working from home means you can work in your pajamas. I mean, you can, but I don't recommend it. I spend a lot of time on Google Hangouts so that's one reason why I can't just lay around like a hot mess all day, but you will actually feel like an adult with a job if you dress like an adult with a job. I don't do my hair and put on makeup every day, but I do get dressed in clothes I'd wear if I was working in our newsroom.

Set boundaries. You'll want to know what your supervisor expects of you, hour-wise, and then you want to stick to those hours. If your workday ends at 6, end your workday at six and start your personal life clock. Spend time with loved ones, cook dinner, read a book – do not work. I am the worst about this. It's really tough when you work from home to not just make the argument that you can (and should) work anytime you can.

Have multiple places to work. Everyone and their brother says, "Have a desk!" OK, listen. I work in a handful of different places in our apartment: 1) my desk, 2) our dining room table, 3) our couch, and 4) my chair on the patio. I can be productive in all four of those spots, although I do prefer to do different kinds of work in these spots. So, if I'm on a Google Hangout, I tend to sit at the dining room table or my desk; if I really need to get work done, I'll be at my desk in the office. At the beginning of my day and as my day is winding down, I tend to work on the couch. And I move outside when I get cold. You can be productive when you're sitting on your couch. The difference is, are you laying down with a blanket or are you sitting comfortably with your laptop achieving the same goals you were achieving at your desk?

Resist the urge to multitask. Don't try to participate in a Google Hangout and start a load of laundry. Don't work on a spreadsheet while you empty the dishwasher. There's no way to avoid doing some house chores while you work at home, but if you try to be everything at once, you will end up getting nothing done properly. Dedicate time during your day to get your house chores done, but don't try to be superwoman.

Take regular mini breaks. A mini break for me can be taking Theo outside for a walk or starting a load of laundry or tidying up the kitchen or making a snack. I try to take a mini break once every hour or 90 minutes (No more than 5-10 minutes at a time.) and then two to three longer breaks throughout the day.

Put your phone on silent or keep it in another room. Especially when I'm sitting at my desk or the dining room table, this is a necessity. For one, I hate the sound of my phone vibrating against a hard surface.  But because you can get pretty much every notification you need on a computer these days, especially if you are using a Mac, there is no reason to have your phone on you too. I put my phone into Do Not Disturb mode and put it to the side. Periodically, I'll pick it up to check it for anything I might have missed, but my phone calls, important emails, Slack messages and texts come through on my laptop, where it's easier to monitor them without derailing my productivity entirely.

Leave the house. Seriously. Once a day, you need to actually leave your house. Leave your neighborhood. Leave. Go away. When I first moved in with Patrick in January, we both would work from home all day, cook dinner together in the evening and then sit on the couch and watch TV. Very quickly, we were absolutely miserable. Theo has kept us a little busier but I still always make an effort to leave the house at least once a day, whether it's for a grocery run or a trip to grab Starbucks or a Coke at McDonalds. Usually I have errands or things I want to do that pull me out of the house, but when I don't, I make myself leave anyway. The pressure is lower for me to eat out so I don't mind smaller expenses like that here and there.

Keep food in the house. Our house is well-stocked with lunch meat and cheese, bread, milk, eggs, cereal, snack foods – everything I could ever want to eat, unless I have a very specific craving. Keeping food in the kitchen is huge. If you have no groceries, you're going to feel the pressure to leave and grab lunch out of the house; while I advocate for leaving the house once a day, I don't advocate doing it right at lunchtime, which is a really productive time for me. I also don't advocate trying to work hungry. Keep food on hand and never work hungry.

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Do you work from home? What do you love about it or hate about it? What are your tips? And if you don't work from home, what keeps you productive in your office or workplace? 

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10 things that will make your resume stand out in the pile

1. Only include the best and most relevant work experiences for the types of job you're applying for — that means customize your resume.

Remember when Paris Gellar and Rory Gilmore are getting ready to graduate, and Paris talks about the 10 different versions of her resume? She isn't completely crazy. I know.

You should have more than one version of your resume. You should go in and reorganize and reword your resume for each and every job you apply to that you value. If you're just submitting resumes left and right to 100 companies without any thought to how your resume looks to each individual company, you aren't going to have as much as luck as you would if you made a custom version of your resume for 10 jobs.

When I say customize, I don't mean entirely redesign your resume for every position. But consider what experience is most relevant. Say you're in communications and you're applying for a job within the government or a very corporate company and also a job with a startup marketing firm. Those two hiring managers are looking for very different skills and work experiences, and you shouldn't expect one resume to fit both jobs.

2. Use present tense for jobs or positions you currently hold and past tense for jobs you no longer hold. 

This is literally so small, so so so small, but if you remember my last post, consistency matters.

Your work experience should be ordered chronologically — meaning the positions you currently hold are at the top, followed by positions you no longer hold in chronological order. And in that same vein, you should distinguish between jobs you are doing now and jobs you are not doing anymore by changing the verb tense for each position. A small detail that I think means a lot. It shows you invested time into your resume.

3. Quantify your work. 

This is one of the most important things anyone has ever told me about resumes. You must quantify your work, not just qualify it.

So that means instead of saying I edited stories for The Daily Tar Heel for print and online, I say that I edited between 10 and 15 stories a day, five days a week, for The Daily Tar Heel, which at that time had a daily print circulation of 14,000 copies a day and reached 25,000 people every day online.

See? Sounds far more specific and professional, right?

4. Include skills that make you stand out — don't waste space with the skills everyone has. 

Everyone knows how to use PowerPoint. Sorry, but it's true. Remove it — it's a waste of space.

Not everybody knows the Adobe Creative Suite or is fluent in Spanish or can use a DSLR like a pro. Include the skills that make you different. If you had an internship and used a specific program (for example, if you used QuickBooks or Adobe Omniture), include that program on your skills. It'll make you stand out if another company you apply to uses that same program and you already have the skills.

In the same vein: If you show through your work experience that you are a strong editor or writer, you don't need to say that you are a strong editor under your skills section. Your work experience shows it.

5. Don't include things from high school.

Unless you have been in college for no more than 30 seconds, leave it off. If you're including it because you don't have any or nearly enough college or post-college experience to fill a page … Stop what you're doing and reevaluate. Join a club or something.

6. Use powerful verbs.

Too often, people start every sentence with "Responsible for," "handled," "led" or "managed." Use powerful verbs that convey what you did and give more value and importance to your tasks. It's very similar to quantifying your work. A powerful verb makes you stand out from the hundreds of other candidates who have also been responsible for menial tasks as an intern at some company or another. It's all about standing out.

I am literally linking to a list of 185 powerful verbs to use instead.

7. Skip the content that feels and looks compulsory.

That includes things like "references upon request" or an "objective" sentence. You don't want someone to look at your resume and feel like they've read 15,000 of these before and yours is nothing different at all. Do not be that resume. Be the one that breaks the mold and doesn't include an objective sentence that no one reads anyway.

Something else that seems compulsory but isn't necessary: Your home address.

Instead of the compulsory, include your cell phone number, email, website and LinkedIn profile. Maybe your Twitter if that would be appropriate for your industry. (It is for mine.) No one is mailing you anything anymore, and if you include a home address that isn't in the area of the job you're applying for, it could put you out of the running — even if you are 100 percent willing to relocate or move to the moon for a job.

Also, you may think your college GPA is important … but it's really not. Unless the job you're applying for asks for a GPA or has a GPA requirement or your GPA is above a 3.5, I would leave it out.

8. Put your most pertinent experiences at the top. 

Sometimes, I've seen sections called "JOURNALISM (or the industry you're applying for specifically) EXPERIENCE" and "OTHER EXPERIENCE." That way, you don't have to be restricted to chronological order — put your most relevant work at the top in a different section from the experience you want to include but isn't the most relevant. For example, if you have experience in both marketing, public relations and digital marketing and are applying for a digital marketing position, it makes sense to have a DIGITAL MARKETING EXPERIENCE section and an OTHER EXPERIENCE section.

But please stick with chronological order within those categories because otherwise, it does get messy and confusing. Maybe that's just me. Oh well.

9. List your honors – if they're things people might recognize.

Winning a scholarship or award is great, but if you don't have room to explain what it is or why you received it, it's probably not worth including. You don't want people to have to guess how big of a deal it is that you won a scholarship in your first year of college three years ago.

But if you, say, were a Morehead Cain Scholar at UNC (a big deal)  then you would't need to break that down. If you win an award that has somewhat of an explanation in the title (like a community journalism award I won last year), that probably will also suffice.

List the honors that are the biggest deal to you and the most relevant to your job search. Employee of the Month at the on-campus bookstore? Eh. Leave it.

10. Your relevant class history is important, but don't speak in tongues.

When I say tongues, I mean class shortenings — ENGL 105, JOMC 153, POLI 203. No one knows what those course codes mean except people in your own university's registrar and also that one kid who memorized the course bulletin their first year whose name is Paige Ladisic.

Before I graduated I used the actual titles of my courses — Media Law, Professional Problems and Ethics, Introduction to News Editing, etc. — and only include the courses that are most relevant to my career search. A lot of people I know mention every course they've ever taken … Not necessary, unless they are possibly all relevant to your experiences and your skills. Feel free to leave off your first year chemistry lab!

Now that I am out of college, I do not include class history at all and include any of my skills from those classes in my skills section. It's a personal preference.

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Okey dokey! That's some of the best resume advice I have. Are you working on a resume now? Are you totally out of your wheelhouse? Feel free to send me an email! You can reach me at thedailypaigeblog@gmail.com with any questions or requests for feedback on your resume.

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