Microsoft Word

Updating your resume

Editing Headers and Footers

In some templates, I designed elements, like your name or borders, inside the header and footer areas, so that they repeat on every page. This way you only have to edit them once—hooray! The header and footer objects appear faded in MS Word (though, they'll look perfectly normal in your final export).

Double-click inside the header or footer area (near the very top or bottom of the page) to open the Header & Footer Tools. Now you can edit the text or shapes. Double-click anywhere outside of the header or footer area to close the Header & Footer Tools.

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Quickly change text colors and styles

Want to change text colors throughout your template without having to select all the text manually? I designed the templates with text Styles to make this a breeze. Here's how you do it:

• Under the Home tab, click on Styles Pane.
• To see only text styles being currently used in the document, choose Styles In use or In current document from the drop-down at the bottom of the Styles Pane.
• Click on the arrow next to the style you want to change and choose Modify…‍
• Choose your new color or font style, and now it’s updated throughout the template.

That easy!

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Change page background color

Go to the Design tab. Click Page Color to display a list of color options. Click More Colors to customize your background color.

Moving text boxes & shapes with precision

To nudge Text Boxes & Shapes in small and precise increments in Word, hold Control while using the Arrow Keys.

If you want to move multiple objects at the same time in Word, you have to group them together:

Click the first object. Hold down Shift and click the other objects.

Right-click the objects, select Group, and then click Group.

Now you can move the group of objects anywhere on the page. To ungroup the objects, just right-click the group, select Group > Ungroup.

Resizing objects

Select an object, then select Format. Under Size you can click the up and down arrows to adjust the width or height of an object.

Editing shape colors

To change the color of a shape, right-click the object and select Format Shape. and change the Shape Fill or Outline color.

Formatting bullet points

Your bullet points may look out of place if you use the default bullets from Word. Here’s how to make them look nice:

Open the Styles Pane and filter for Styles in Use. Locate the style for bullet points or “list” items. Highlight the text you want in bullet points and click on the style to apply the custom bulleted list.

Adding a photo to your resume

If your resume includes a photo, here's how you can add yours:

Select the shape. Go to Format > Shape Fill > Picture. In the Format Shape panel you can tweak the settings under Shape Options and Fill to position & resize your photo to your liking.

If your photo looks stretched, go to Picture Format > Crop > Fill.

Adding book covers to your resume

Some resume designs include the option to add book covers. First, save your desired book cover images on your computer.

Click on the book cover shape in Word. Under the Shape Format tab, click the Shape Fill > Picture... Then select your book cover image. The book cover may look squashed. To fix this, go to Picture Format tab. Select Crop > Fit. Voila.

Adding a signature to the Cover Letter

Sign a piece of paper and scan it or take a photo with your phone camera. You can use the native photo editing apps on your phone to crop it down and adjust the contrast. Import your scan into Word as a .jpeg or .png file. If needed, crop the signature to remove any white space and then select Format Picture and Remove Background.

Saving as a PDF

On Windows:

In the latest version of Word, select File > Export > Create a PDF > Click Options… and specify your desired Page Range.

In other versions of Word it may be File > Save As… Choose PDF as your file type. Click Options… to specify your page range.

‍On Mac:

Go to File > Print. Specify your desired Page Range. Click the PDF drop-down in the bottom left corner and choose Save as PDF.

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Getting white borders when you try to save as a PDF?

To ensure design elements and colors go all the way to the edge of the page when you save as a PDF, you'll have to take these steps in Word before exporting to PDF:

• File > Page Setup...
• Go to the Format for dropdown. Select Any Printer.
• Go to the Paper Size dropdown and select Manage Custom Sizes...
• Click on the plus sign (+) to add a new size. I like to name it "Full Bleed 8.5 x 11" (or your paper size).
• Set the Paper Size to 8.5 in x 11 in. If you're using the A4 template use 8.27in × 11.69in.
• Set Non-Printable Areas as User Defined and set all four boxes to 0.

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Other FAQs

Why do the fonts look different?

You'll want to install the (free) fonts in the PDF file provided with your template before opening your template. If you don't install the fonts in the guide first, your computer will use default fonts instead, and your document won't look so great.

Once you've installed the (free) fonts in the guide, your resume should look just like the original design.

I’m using Word for Mac and the fonts are still not showing?

1. Open FontBook and triple check the fonts are installed. Make sure there are no duplicate fonts.
2. Go to Edit > Look for Enabled Duplicates…
3. Everything looking ok? Let’s keep troubleshooting.
4. Open the Pages template. Are the fonts looking okay there? If they are, then your problem is likely Word-specific. Let’s narrow it down some more.
5. Open Word and take a look at the fonts dropdown list. Are the resume fonts missing from the dropdown?
6. If they are, it’s likely you’re running into a known Office Font Issue for MacOS. If you have a large number of fonts installed on your system, Microsoft Office apps may not be able to load all the fonts. 😩 This causes some fonts not to appear in the font picker.
7. You can work around this by following the Microsoft recommended steps in the section “To set prioritized fonts.” Restart your Mac after following the suggestions.
8. If you are unsure or scared to try this workaround, you can get in touch with me below and I’ll be happy to walk you through it.
9. If all of this is frustrating you and you’re ready to throw your computer out the window (or at someone), try Pages! It’s a dream to use compared to Word, in my designer opinion. It may take a little getting used to at first, but you’ll find it’s an impressive design and layout tool. Use the Pages Guide for some helpful tips along the way.

How do I get a LinkedIn URL with my name in it?

If you want your LinkedIn URL to look like this: www.linkedin.com/in/yourname click here to do just that.

How should I email the resume to someone?

PDF is the best way to go. It will preserve the appearance of the file, including all of the carefully curated fonts. If you send the resume in .docx format, the person you’re sending it to likely won’t have the same fonts installed. When they open your file, the fonts will change.

How do I delete a page from my resume?

When you export your final file to PDF, you can specify your desired range of pages. Look under the Saving as a PDF headline above for a how-to.

I get a white border when I print the file. How do I get rid of it?

Most home printers don't support printing to the edge of the paper (borderless printing), and those that do often limit it to paper sizes smaller than Letter. Your best bet is to take your PDF to a print shop, have them print it on larger paper and trim it down so that the color ‘bleeds’ to the edges. Most employers like to have a digital copy of your resume these days, so check if emailing a PDF is possible instead.