Design an Attractive Resume Letterhead

Job Seeker:

Your mission to land a great job fast begins by creating an attractive resume using classy fonts and a letterhead that presents your contact information in a professional manner.

Cyberspace is a dangerous place. Protect your privacy. If you are posting to a public job board, omit your street address. Your letterhead should display your name; your city, state, and zip code; one telephone number, and one email address. 

• Avoid silly sounding emails like [email protected] or [email protected]. Keep your professional email address separate from your personal email address. Do not use your current employer’s email for your job search. 
• Consider giving a cell phone number rather than your home phone number for two reasons
  (1) your cell phone is always with you, and 
  (2) you are not advertising your home number online. 
• Applicant Tracking Systems typically interpret the first line of your document as your name; therefore, place any degrees or designations on a line below your name.
• Omit the French word résumé or the Latin words curriculum vitae from your letterhead. There is no need to state the obvious. 
• Use hyperlinks for your email address and social media profile URL. With one click, a prospective employer can email you or read more about your career accomplishments. The top right corner of your letterhead is the perfect place to position a hyperlink.

In summary, the letterhead design and font you choose should suit your profession and personality.
Use the same letterhead on all your career correspondence (cover letter, resume, reference sheet, follow-up letter, etc.). Be sure to provide hyperlinks to your email and social media profile. Before you finalize the first draft of your resume, analyze your letterhead. Is it visually appealing? Is your contact information presented in a manner that makes it easy for a prospective employer to reach you? Remember, the top right corner is prime space for your phone number and email address. 

Even in your letterhead, content is king if you want your phone to ring!


© 2014 Sharla Taylor – All rights reserved. 

---