The answer is yes; there is a right way to present the information on your résumé. For all of the elements listed, one of the most important is where the dates are placed. It used to be more or less common practice to place them on the left side of the résumé. Since the number of jobs the average person is likely to have has increased over the years, there might be many dates, and such an arrangement is sure to attract the reader’s eye. The problem with this is that by setting up the dates in that fashion, they become the résumé’s main message. That’s why it is a better idea to put the dates along the right side of the page.
Remember also to be always age appropriate. This does not extend to drawing with crayons while being interviewed. It is a lot subtler than that. Simply put, if you are a senior worker, your résumé may run two or three pages, but as a younger person, it never should. One page or two at the most is always a safe length.
Test flight your résumé. Try it out on friends to see how it sounds and looks. Ask someone you trust to look at the résumé and describe to you in ten seconds how the information comes across. If your friend describes you the way you intended, your résumé is successful, but if he or she didn’t, it’s back to the drawing board. When you are done revising, try that friend again and still another for a first impression. Feedback of this nature can be valuable as it is very important to know if your résumé exudes the impression that you are either in a higher or lower level than you actually are.
Related Reading:
“How Long Should Your Résumé Be?”
http://forums.families.com/jobs,f122