When I graduated from college, I had no idea what my resume was supposed to look like. Should it be in a standard Microsoft Template? Should it have a fancy font to reflect my 'creative' side? Should I have somebody write it for me? Many writers wonder whether their resumes should pop out in terms of style to catch an editor's eye, but do editors mostly find this obnoxious? I posed this question to Alex Twersky, resume revamper here at Mediabistro:

"Remember the old adage: beware of style over substance? Well, it's completely applicable to the question of how a resume should look. In no way should the formatting of a resume overshadow the clarity/specificity of its content; its clearly targeted focus; and its logical organizational structure which should present information in the proper sequence, guiding the reader through the "story" that you, the prospective employee, is trying to convincingly tell. Some folks think a dazzling resume format will knock the socks off a hiring manager. In my humble opinion, the format is never more important than the content. Moreover, it should work hand in hand with the content to make sure all the right information is being properly delivered, such as your professional objective, previous job accomplishments/highlights, and targeted work history really stand out. I've seen resumes that employ all sorts of graphic bells and whistles: snazzy typefaces, dancing geometric patterns, and even photos! None of these will impress a manager more than a competently structure and articulately composed resume. But in order to aid that information flow, feel free to use clear typefaces (going beyond the Times New Roman monopoly is fine), borders as section dividers, bullet points, and bolded section titling. Keeping the layout conservative is always advisable (no fancy colors or icons), but folks in more creative fields should feel free to use a little professional discretion here in how much they want to showcase their design skills on the resume itself. Remember, let the information speak for itself, and make sure it has a strong, achievement-oriented story to tell."