How to Right-Align Dates on a Resume in Microsoft Word

Align Dates and Locations to the Right Side of Your Resume by Using Tab Stops in Word

Your resume often serves as your first impression in the job market, making it essential to pay attention to even the smallest details—such as how your dates are aligned.

Proper alignment not only enhances the visual appeal of your document but also communicates professionalism and attention to detail.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to perfectly align dates on your resume using tab stops in Microsoft Word, ensuring a polished and organized layout every time.

How to Align Dates on Your Resume Using Tab Stops

The easiest and most efficient way to align your dates is to use tab stops in Microsoft Word.

Follow these straightforward steps to ensure your dates are consistently right-aligned:

Let’s imagine you’re looking to right-align the dates highlighted in yellow below.

Step 1: Place the Cursor

Start by positioning your cursor right before the first character of the date you want to align—e.g., right before the “M” in “March 2016.”

Step 2: Open Paragraph Settings

You can open Paragraph Settings by clicking on the small arrow in the bottom right corner of the Paragraph section in the toolbar, as illustrated in the accompanying visual.

Step 3: Navigate to Tabs

Under Paragraph Settings, select Tabs.

If you haven’t used them before, tab stops are simply a way to align text with one click using the tab key on your keyboard.

Step 4: Set Your Tab Stop

Once you have the Tabs window open, you’ll need to make three selections:

1) Tab stop position

The tab stop position tells Word where you want text aligned on the page. In our example, the right-most position falls at 7.5 inches (see green circle below), so we input 7.5 (as shown in the red circle).

You may need to adjust your tab stop position depending on how big your margins are, however.

2) Alignment

Select Right to make sure the text is aligned right, as shown in the blue circle.

This setting will ensure your text is flush right at the 7.5-inch mark where you place the tab.

3) Leader

The leader option allows you to insert a series of dots, dashes, or a line between the “Head of Customer Experience” title and the dates.

While these leaders may work well when creating a table of contents for a report, for example, we’ll select None.

Once you've entered the necessary information, click OK to apply your settings.

Step 5: Use the Tab Key

With the cursor still positioned before the date, press the Tab key on your keyboard. Your dates should now be correctly right-aligned.

You’ll notice a small tab symbol appear on the ruler, indicating that the tab stop is in place.

If adjustments are needed, you can double-click this symbol or drag it along the ruler to reposition.

You’ll know you have a tab in place when you see the symbol in the red circle above.

If you need to adjust your tab, you can double-click on this symbol or simply drag it along the ruler to the desired position.

Step 6: Repeat As Necessary

To easily replicate your tab stop in another location, you can copy and paste the paragraph with the tab settings.

Alternatively, use the Format Painter tool to apply the same formatting to new text.

Why It's Important to Align Dates on Your Resume

Messy or inconsistent date alignment can signal to recruiters a lack of attention to detail.

In a competitive job market, first impressions matter, and a well-organized resume suggests that you possess strong organizational skills.

Additionally, being proficient in Microsoft Word is expected in today’s hiring landscape.

Therefore, taking the time to present your dates accurately is an investment in your professional image.

In Summary

By following the steps outlined above, you’ll not only save time on formatting but also ensure that it is consistent 100% of the time.

If you prefer to start with a resume template that already has tab stops in place, use one of our executive resume templates.

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About Resume Pilots

Resume Pilots is an award-winning executive resume writing firm and a proud member of the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches. Our previous clients include CEOs and senior executives at the world's leading companies.

As a professional services firm, we take your reputation seriously. We are committed to delivering writing excellence and superior service while operating with integrity and discretion. Recruitment firms we partner with also trust us to consistently deliver quality documents for their clients.

Our writers have studied in the Ivy League and other top-tier universities and have strong writing backgrounds coupled with industry experience.

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