[HeyLaughingBoy]

What problem is this solving? For all the issues I may have had with resumes that cross my desk, lack of "elegance" has never been one of them.

I want to know your name, your contact information, and what you've done for the last few years in a predictable, quick to read format. Plain Courier New text works fine.

My workflow: typically my manager drops a pile of resumes that have come in from HR/recruiter and asks me to "go"/"no go" them for an initial phone screen. I will go through them quickly and could care less about how pretty they look. If I see your resume again, it's either because I am doing the screen or one of the in-person interviews and by that time, I've scribbled notes all over your resume about questions I want you to answer.

All I want to know is can you do the work you'll be asked to and will people want to work with you. What your resume actually looks like (assuming it's readable and doesn't have more than one or two spelling errors), is about the last thing I care about.

[bawasa]

As the saying goes "First impression is the last impression".

When you submit your resume to any company, I think that is the first impression you are going to make about yourself and if that impression is going to be an "elegant" one, something that can make you stand out in the pile of resumes on a HR's desk, something that would stop the HR from going through his pile & have a second look at your resume, then why not make it ?

And by making it "elegant" I am not taking away the basic purpose of the resume, all the information that is expected is still there & if the information is going to be presented in an "elegant" manner, whats the harm ?

Very true, once selected the HR might scribble his questions on the resume and it might very well end in the trash, I would say in that case that "elegant" resume would have served its purpose :-)

[eastCoastAlan]

It's been a long time since I've been on the open job market, but I remember receiving the 'make your resume stand out from the others in the pile' advice. I even remember using heavier slightly textured stock for a while to test its effectiveness. From my own experience the only thing that really made a difference is being recommended by someone. All other tactics basically amounted to nothing.

[HeyLaughingBoy]

Exactly this. I don't know a single interviewer who cares about the style of a resume unless it makes it harder to read. And then it's in danger of being tossed without reading.

[bawasa]

Well recommendation is surely better than any resumes but unfortunately not everyone has some high connections and they must take the long road of making a good looking resume.

[HeyLaughingBoy]

My point is that HR (at least at the company I work for) will not gauge your resume on how cool it looks or what paper is on it. We have gotten to the point where HR is not allowed to prescreen resumes. They just pass them on to us and an engineer screens them. Then the ones that pass that first gate go back to HR and they check for work eligibility, etc before scheduling phone interviews.