Chapter 2 — Microsoft Word

Resumes, cover letters, and any document that needs to look professional

Why It Matters for Your Job Search

Word is where your resume, cover letter, and reference list get built. A clean, well-formatted Word document is often the very first impression a hiring manager forms of you — before they've read a single word.

Core Skills

2.1 Starting a Document

1. Open Word and choose Blank document, or pick a Resume template from the template gallery.
2. Click anywhere in the page and start typing.
3. Save immediately: File > Save As, choose OneDrive, and name the file clearly (see Chapter 1).

2.2 Formatting Text

Select text first (click and drag, or double-click a word) before applying formatting — Word only changes what's selected.

• Bold / Italic / Underline — in the Font group of the Home tab, or Ctrl+B / Ctrl+I / Ctrl+U.
• Font & size — dropdown menus at the top-left of the Font group. Stick to one or two fonts per document.
• Text color / highlight — use sparingly in a resume; color doesn't always survive printing or PDF conversion cleanly.

2.3 Paragraphs, Spacing & Alignment

• Alignment (left / center / right / justify) — Paragraph group, Home tab.
• Line & paragraph spacing — the icon with horizontal lines and up/down arrows; tighter spacing (1.0 or 1.08) keeps a one-page resume from spilling to page two.
• Bulleted and numbered lists — the list icons in the Paragraph group; describe achievements as bullets, not paragraphs.

2.4 Styles — the Fast Way to Consistent Formatting

The Styles gallery (Home tab, right side) lets you apply a consistent heading look with one click, instead of manually bolding and resizing every section title. Click into a line, then click a style like "Heading 2" to format it instantly — and every heading using that style updates together if you change your mind later.

2.5 Page Setup

• Margins — Layout tab > Margins. "Narrow" (0.5in) buys extra room on a tight one-page resume.
• Page size — Layout tab > Size (Letter is standard in the US).
• Headers & footers — Insert tab > Header/Footer; useful for adding page numbers to a longer document like a portfolio or report.

2.6 Tables (for clean resume layouts)

Insert tab > Table lets you create an invisible-bordered table to line up a job title on the left with a date on the right — a common resume trick. After inserting, select the table, open the Table Design tab, and set Borders to "No Border" so only the alignment remains, not visible lines.

2.7 Spell Check & Proofing

Word underlines possible spelling errors in red and grammar/style issues in blue. Right-click an underlined word for suggestions, or run a full check via Review tab > Spelling & Grammar. Always proofread a resume yourself too — spell check won't catch a correctly-spelled wrong word ("manger" instead of "manager").

2.8 Comments & Track Changes (getting feedback)

If a friend, career coach, or job-search mentor is reviewing your resume, ask them to turn on Review tab > Track Changes before editing, and to use New Comment for suggestions. You'll see exactly what changed and can accept or reject each edit individually.

2.9 Saving as PDF

1. Go to File > Save a Copy (or Export).
2. Choose PDF as the file type.
3. Save it with a clear filename (see Chapter 1) and open it once to confirm nothing shifted before sending it anywhere.

Step-by-Step: Build a One-Page Resume

1. Open a blank document and set narrow margins (Layout > Margins > Narrow).
2. Type your full name at the top, apply Heading 1 style, and center it.
3. On the next line, add your city/state, email, and phone number, smaller font, centered.
4. Type "PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY," apply Heading 2 style, and write 2–3 sentences summarizing your experience and goal.
5. Add a "WORK EXPERIENCE" heading. For each job: company & job title (bold), dates (right-aligned using a table or tab stop), and 2–4 bullet points describing what you did and achieved.
6. Add "EDUCATION" and "SKILLS" headings the same way.
7. Read through once for spacing consistency, run Spelling & Grammar check, then save as PDF.

Common Mistakes

Keyboard Shortcuts

Bonus: Building a Cover Letter

A cover letter uses the same Word skills as a resume, arranged as a short business letter. Here is a complete, adaptable example — copy its structure, then replace the bracketed details with your own: