Tales from the Resume Reef....Error of Margin!

MS Word has default margins of 1.25" all around. While that creates plenty of blank space on the page, it can take away from how much you can fit on the resume page. If you are finding that your resume is winding up to be longer than you wish, certainly examine the CONTENT. However, you also have another option if you adjust the margins to create more space.

There will always be debate on how long a resume SHOULD be; I won't discuss such in this offering. Frankly, I think there will always be some debate on that topic - and that's a good thing. In that arena, the one "nugget o' wisdom" I will pass along is not my own. Author Robert C.S. Downs taught me that if I wasn't certain if something belonged in my writing, it didn't belong. (And this ALWAYS applies to the useless phrase "References available upon request." It just doesn't belong!)

However, there's more room for important information if you choose different margins from MS Word's default. So, try these margins, instead:
.5, top and bottom
.7 left margin
.6 right margin

Immediately, you create more space for text on the page; however, the text you put in will not look "jammed together."

Plus, there is no "standard" margin for resumes. Just as there is no standard font size - (though we suggest you don't use larger that 12 point font for your text.) What matters is that you can have a bit more space available for information and still print out the document without trouble.


Here's where there may be trouble.
Anything less than .5 on the top or bottom and the text may not fully print. From my own trial and error, I've discovered that a margin of less than .7 on the left may be a printing problem as well.

However, what's left is the good old right margin: anything .6 or higher is likely to be fine.

Don't make an "Error of Margin" by letting MS Word's default dictate how much space you have available for your resume. By changing MS Word margins, you can put more on a page and still have your document looking professional!