The job market for talented web design pros is as hot as ever, but it’s essential to face the career challenge with the best possible resume you can muster. That’s because the number of job seekers grows from month to month as the economy worsens. When inflation hits and global securities markets fall into disarray, hundreds of thousands of workers aim for corporate employment.

If you are attempting to enter this lucrative but competitive field, develop a resume on your own as a first step. When you feel okay about it, hire a professional to tune it up and make it picture perfect. Why not just dump all your data with an expert writer in the first place? By doing your own rough draft, you save a ton of money. So, what should you do with the document before calling in the big guns? Here are four essential tasks.

Use Correct Experience Lists and Fonts

When you build the Job Experience section, list the most recent positions first. Hiring agents don’t like having to search for your current positions by scanning through six previous experience entries. Then, use standard fonts, no smaller than 10-point and no larger than 14.

Pay for Top Notch Writing from a Pro

Before you finish, contact a certified resume writer, and let them know you are working on the first version. Don’t worry about fees at this point. Instead, search for a professional who can assist you with related tasks, like writing a LinkedIn profile, brushing up on interview skills, and crafting unique cover letters for each application. Experienced writers are not cheap, but this is no time to skimp on expenses. Diligent job seekers take out personal loans to pay all the costs of polishing the main document, generating cover letters for every interview, writing thank you notes after meeting company representatives, and keeping your online business profiles up-to-date. You’ll want to get everything in both digital and hard copy formats.

Use the 1-10 Rule

No matter how much experience you have, never list jobs you held more than 10 years ago. Likewise, keep your final document to one page or less. You can always include an asterisked line like, “Additional information, references, and history available upon request.” There are so many awesome resume designs that you can use that are still just one page. So, remember one page max and no more than 10 years of job history.

Put Sections in Logical Order

Generally, you’ll want to begin with a section entitled either Objective or Summary. Follow that with Experience and Education. It’s optional to add additional sections as space permits. Include entries like Related Interests, Professional Memberships, Relevant Skills, and Special Coursework. Always list web design talents you’ve acquired in a section of their own. It helps to have one or more professional memberships, so consider joining one that syncs with your skills. Don’t omit industry events like conferences, boot camps, corporate gatherings, and more. The whole point of these extras is to demonstrate that you possess social skills and enjoy the career path you’ve chosen. It’s not unusual for hiring managers to read the first few lines of the experience section and skip directly to the bottom of the page.

About the Author

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Mirko Humbert

Mirko Humbert is the editor-in-chief and main author of Designer Daily and Typography Daily. He is also a graphic designer and the founder of WP Expert.