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Module 3 Writing Assignment
Pictured to the left is my chosen
Word template: Polished Resume,
Designed by MOO. This is a
professional resume example with a
flair of color and design, created by
an exterior design company and
licensed out by Word for use in
templates.
For the most part, I find this resume
to be, overall, well designed.
Headers are appropriately clear and
easily designated by line width and
color, and as the Figure 1 Polished Resume,
Designed by MOO (Word) audience of a
resume is likely to skim through
many resumes at any given time,
seeing these key points at a distance
is more important than in other
documents (Markel, 2015).
According to the document’s
description, ribbon colors can be
easily changed to match the needs of
the user; in some industries,
especially those that are design-
oriented, color can certainly be a
good way to make one’s resume
stand out, but in others, it may be less than preferred or seem unprofessional (Smith, 2014). As
such, the ability to customize color schemes is a boon; I would likely prefer a more subdued blue
for the purposes of a resume, as it adds a pop of color without appearing too ostentatious or
unprofessional. As it stands now, the color scheme could be interpreted as being a bit garish if
presented in the wrong industry.
Another interesting point in this resume template is found at the bottom of the template: the
links. There are four headings for four links at the bottom: email, Twitter, phone and LinkedIn.
Providing a wealth of contact information to the prospective employer is a must, and the
addition of specific sections for these links is an interesting choice (Smith, 2014). Personally, I
tend to prefer having contact information up near the name so that it is immediately associated
with the owner of the resume; while I think it is important to have these links somewhere in the
template, space on a resume is at a premium, so perhaps these artistic interpretations might be
better suited in headers, footers or up in the name ribbon (Jarvis, n.d.).
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The second template that I examined was on Excel and called the “Inventory list with reorder
highlighting”. Excel presents a greater level of complexity when compared to PowerPoint or
Word templates, as Excel, by its very nature, includes a lot more variables and can serve many
more functions than its other counterparts.
The inventory list could serve several functions for several companies, both large and small, and
it can be expanded to serve larger lists more efficiently. This list is capable of highlighting items
to reorder, if required, and can cross out discontinued items from the order list. While the
template is clean and simple with good spacing to prevent eye-clutter, I feel as though the
distinction between reorder items and regular items—light orange and light blue respectively—
should be more defined for the sake of improving that all-important clarity aspect of the
document (Markel, 2015). As it stands now, especially from a distance, the faded colors present
on the template now are not that easily distinct—or at least not for me—and I think that the
overall look of the template could be improved if the difference between them was more
noticeable.
Figure 2 Inventory list with reorder hig hlighting (Excel)
Figure 3 Triple circuit lines presentation (widescreen) (PowerPoint)
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The final template is one from PowerPoint by the name of “triple circuit lines presentation”.
PowerPoint offers the greatest level of customization and design ability of the three analyzed
mediums, and in that sense, it can also offer the greatest margin of error and difficulty of use,
especially in a professional format (Lane, n.d.). One important thing to note is that this theme is
designed for a widescreen format, so if the user required something in a different aspect ratio, he
or she could encounter distortion problems or may need to consider another template.
Right away, one can notice the contrast between the white lettering and the dark background; it
is bold and stands out, and in many ways, the design is sharp and clean. The angular edges frame
the contour of the text and imagery that will be stored within, keeping the viewer’s eye within
the frame and on target. The color palette is soft, subtle and does not cause eye strain, and the
darker neutral colors are suitable for a more professional environment (Lane, n.d.).
For the most part, this presentation template can serve many needs, but in some professional
environments, a more plain presentation may be preferred or even required. This presentation
also does not allow for easy, clean integration of one’s logo, which may be a deficit in business
environments. Some issues may arise in the finer details of the presentation; on one of the slides,
a graph is presented to match the style of the overall PowerPoint, but the graph is difficult to
read and could be easily misinterpreted. Choosing another graph design or style would probably
be preferable for the sake of clarity rather than prettiness. Other issues with PowerPoints in
general can often be a result of user over-design or error, and while the presentation template
itself is adaptable to the needs of the user, it is up to the user to maintain its inoffensiveness and
style (Lane, n.d.). In the end, that is the very nature of these templates; while they all provide
excellent starting points, it is up to the user to adapt the template to their needs without
compromising the document’s clarity or inoffensiveness.
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Bibliography
Jarvis, A. (n.d.). Simple Microsoft Word tricks to improve your resume. Retrieved from Ladders:
https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/simple-microsoft-word-tricks-to-
improveresume/
Lane, R. (n.d.). Combining colors in PowerPoint – mistakes to avoid. Retrieved from Microsoft
Office Support: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Combining-Colors-in-
PowerPoint-%E2%80%93-Mistakes-to-Avoid-555e1689-85a7-4b2e-aa89-db5270528852
Markel, M. (2015). Technical communication. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Smith, J. (2014, April 2). 12 ways to make your resume stand out. Retrieved from Business
Insider: http://www.businessinsider.com/12-ways-to-make-your-resume-stand-out-20144
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e l e t e d n a m e d e l e t e d n a m e d e l e t
Writing Assignment for Module 3
My preferred option is shown to the left.
Polished Resume is a Word template.
MOO created the design. This is an example of
example of a professional CV with a
color and design flair, developed by
an exterior design company and
licensed out by Word for use in
templates.
For the most part, I find this resume
to be, overall, well designed.
Headers are appropriately clear and
easily designated by line width and
color, and as the Figure 1 Polished Resume,
Designed by MOO (Word) audience of a
resume is likely to skim through
many resumes at any given time,
seeing these key points at a distance
is more important than in other
documents (Markel, 2015
