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Formatting your site’s content
Hopefully you’ll read this before you start writing your content for your site, since that will probably save you a lot of time.
Don’t worry about how your document looks in your word processor, because it will have to
be formatted for the web anyway.
Here are some tips on how to make your documents look more user-friendly on your site.
- Font type
First of all, stick to one font. Reading text on a screen is hard on the eyes, and variations in font only make it more difficult. Secondly, research has shown that on screens, people prefer to read content that is presented in a sans-serif font such as Arial, Tahoma, or Antigoni, as these fonts are easier on the eyes when read on a screen. Sans-serif simply means that the font doesn’t have little edges or curls at the end or the bottom of letters, like Times Roman or Courier. Those fonts are preferred in print because research has shown that these little curls actually help guide the eye from one letter to the next, making it less tiring to read. The font of this website is a variation of Arial.
- Font size and variation
The best font size for the Internet is 11 or 12 points. This text has been written in 10 pts. Research has shown that documents with only three variations of the standard font are considered to be more credible and easier to read than those with numerous variations. Thus, once you’ve chosen a font, only have three variations on that font, for example: 2 additional font sizes (to highlight headings maybe) and bold, or 1 additional font size, bold and italics. This makes your documents easier to read, showing your audience that you are concerned with substance, not flashy graphics. Also, don’t use underlining anywhere as this is reserved for active links and may confuse readers.
- Make sure all important data is left-aligned
People hate to scroll horizontally when web content doesn’t fit on their screen. Since you won’t know the screen size/resolution of your audience, it is safer to place all important data such as employer name, title, locations, dates on the left side of your resume. Many paper resumes show secondary information such as locations and dates on the right side, to preserve space and to provide a visual balance.
However, for a web-based resume, such placement might hide this information on some screens, possibly confusing your audience or leading them to believe that you’ve deliberately chosen not to reveal that information (which of course will make them wonder what you have to hide rather than pay attention to your credentials).
- Eliminate page breaks
Your documents will be displayed as one page, no matter how long it is. Therefore you should eliminate any page breaks or other indications that the original document covered several pages (such as headers/footers and page numbers).
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