There is a certain majesty in simplicity which is far above all the quaintness of wit. (Alexander Pope)
If a resume gets you an interview, it is a great resume. That is the only measure of success. It cannot get you a job. It can get you an interview.
Applicants want their resume to stand out. It used to be done by using extra nice paper. Sometimes the resume was sent with a single crisp fold or in a flat envelope so that it was just slightly different.
With email, it is harder to stand out. Content, readability and accomplishments are critical. But, what about photos, logos and fancy type?
Photos
I like photos, but they can get me in trouble. A few lawsuits have been filed charging race discrimination against companies that kept photos of applicants. The idea was that if you had a photo, you COULD discriminate. Of course asking for your race on the application seems a much better way to bias the reviewer. Anyway, don’t send photos unless you are willing to take a little risk that your resume may be trashed.
Logos
If you have a certification (cert) that is highly sought after, use it. If there is a well known logo associated with the cert, use it at the top of your resume. Don’t go nuts. For example, the gold standard for PC programmers is Microsoft certs or Sun Java certs. Use those logos. If you are a CPA, attach those letters to your name. Don’t add your dog training certification unless you are applying as a dog trainer.
Fancy fonts
Fonts should make your resume easy to read. Don’t mix 3 or 4 fonts on your resume. It distracts, not enhances. Please don’t use brightly colored fonts. Sometimes a resume looks okay with one other color than black. Usually 3 or font colors look terrible. Don’t distract.
Content is king. Bullets and bolding are usually all you need to attract attention to the most important parts of your resume. First work on content, form will follow.
Something To Do Today
Look at your resume. Is there anything distracting? Hand it to someone else and ask them.