It may be very tempting to use the exact language and styles used in resume writing samples posted on popular websites, but keep in mind that these samples and examples are used by a lot of people, and you don’t what your resume to look like all the others. Using the ideas and concepts found on resume writing samples is a good, practical and time saving idea, but simply copying them word for word is often a common mistake.

Imagine if you were an employer that had to read 10 resumes for a job posting about a position for a sales clerk. You would probably expect to see 10 resumes from people of various levels of training, experience and education, each with a unique and different set of phrases, words and descriptors about their previous employment. How do you think you would react if 5 of the 10 resumes had the exact same phrase “responsible for the management and supervision of sales staff, inventory control, financial planning and budget review”? As the employer you would probably think that something was definitely up.

There are several ways to use this same phrase or others like it obtained from resume writing samples. A few other ways to say the same thing would be:

* Managed and supervised several diverse areas including stockroom inventory, retail clothing sales, accounting and budget review.
* Supervised sales and inventory control in the sporting goods department as well as overseeing budget and financial aspects of daily sales on four registers.

* Responsibilities included complete management of retail and wholesale sales, store inventory and budget development and control for the retail outlet.

Taking the general information and adapting or modifying it from the resume writing samples will ensure that you do not use the same exact phrase as others may. It will also allow you to highlight the specific information that may make you a better candidate than other applicants that just list very general information.

Using the same format or style as resume writing samples is much more acceptable as there are only so many styles that are appropriate for the various types of resumes. It is still possible to modify the resume writing samples format by both downloading and changing or by simple recreating the format using the sample as a visual guide. Slight differences in the overall appearance of the resume can help to set it apart from the others, but be careful to not add too much extra that will distract from the overall appearance and ease of reading.

Selecting the right resume writing format for your professional resume is often challenging, especially when you are not sure the various options that are available. Many people use the templates that are found already loaded in most word processing or office programs, and while they may be acceptable they are rarely exactly what you want, especially if you need to add sections, delete sections, or move parts of the resume.

The exact resume writing format is, believe it or not, really not that important as long as it is put together in a logical fashion, makes the information easy to read and understand, and provides a good balance of white space and text and information on the page. Many resume writers antagonize over which format looks better, whereas most resume readers are not as concerned with eye appeal, rather they want relevant information prominently displayed on the page in an easy to find fashion.

To get any idea of resume writing format options consider browsing around on the internet and looking at the various websites offering resume writing samples, free downloads for resumes or resume writing examples.

While you may not find just the resume writing format you are looking for you may be able to identify elements of resumes that you would like to include on your resume. Keep in mind that the resume should flow together and be similar between sections. It should not change dramatically in style between one section and another.

According to resume writing professionals there are several problems that most resume writing format templates and examples all have in common. These problems are largely using too many different types of fonts, addition too many extras such as bolding, underlining and even italics, and using fonts that are too small or too decorative for easy reading. If you are considering a resume writing format that is on a template take a careful look at the various styles and fonts used and try to limit it to one font type, one or two font sizes and either bold, underlining or italics for emphasis and organization but not all three on the same resume.

The resume writing format you choose will likely say a bit about you to the employer as well. If you aren’t comfortable with the format you are using for your resume or if it just doesn’t seem like you, look around until you find one that matches your taste. You will be happy you found the right resume writing format in the long run.