How Design Impacts Hiring Decisions

Design is a readability tool

Recruiters are not judging your taste as an art director.\n They’re judging whether your information is:

• easy to find\n
• easy to trust\n
• easy to summarize to a hiring manager\n

Design helps or hurts those goals.

Good design is invisible: it makes information feel obvious.

Typography creates hierarchy

Hierarchy answers “what matters most?”\n In resumes, the hierarchy should typically be:

1. Name and headline\n
2. Role + company + dates\n
3. Outcome bullets\n
4. Supporting detail

If your typography doesn’t express this, the reader has to do it mentally — which costs time.

Spacing communicates structure

Whitespace is not empty space; it’s grouping.\n Spacing should tell the reader:

• what belongs together\n
• where a new section begins\n
• where a new role begins\n

Small spacing mistakes compound:\n if roles blur together, the resume feels unreliable.

“Premium” is often just consistency

Most “premium” resumes share simple traits:

• consistent alignment\n
• consistent type sizes\n
• consistent spacing rhythm\n
• consistent section labeling\n

That consistency signals care.\n And care signals credibility.

What to avoid

Design choices that frequently harm outcomes:

• low-contrast gray text everywhere\n
• tiny date text that’s hard to scan\n
• decorative icons that add noise\n
• too many weights and styles\n

A small checklist

Before exporting:

• Can someone find your current role in 2 seconds?\n
• Do headings look distinct without being loud?\n
• Is there a clear rhythm between roles?\n
• Are bullets readable at print size?\n

If yes, your design is doing its job.