Project Type: Training Deck | Client: Reverb | Industry: People Operations & Culture Consulting | Location: Seattle, WA
We were brought in by Reverb, a Seattle-based consulting firm known for building strong workplace cultures and improving people operations, to design a professional, easy-to-digest PowerPoint presentation for one of their internal training events: the Resume and Cover Letter Workshop.
The presentation was designed for a workshop in May 2022 and aimed at job seekers looking to improve their application materials. Whether they were early-career professionals or experienced candidates pivoting industries, the goal was the same—make the information clear, actionable, and engaging. That’s where our design expertise came in.
The Project Brief
Reverb already had strong content—what they needed was a design that supported their teaching style and reinforced their branding. The deck needed to:
- Make dense topics like resume formatting and job-search strategy approachable
- Work well in both live presentation settings and as a follow-along resource
- Fit their visual tone: professional, warm, and people-focused
- Maintain a logical flow, guiding participants from basic resume structure to advanced tips
They didn’t want flashy animations or distracting visuals. Just clean, smart design that helps the message land. So that’s exactly what we delivered.
Slide-by-Slide Strategy
We broke the workshop deck into core sections and structured it like a step-by-step coaching guide.
1. Developing Your Resume
We started with an overview of the must-have resume sections. But rather than overwhelming the audience with blocks of text, we kept each concept to its own slide:
- Objective title
- Key skills
- Summary statement
- Education
- Work history
Each section had its own visual rhythm to make it easier for viewers to absorb the info. Fonts, spacing, and bullets were used to organize thoughts in a way that flowed naturally without losing clarity.
2. Purpose of a Resume
This section was crafted to reset expectations. One key line we emphasized:
A resume doesn’t get you the job—it gets you the interview.
Design-wise, we used bold, clean text treatments and short blurbs that made this message stick. Rather than cramming bullet after bullet, we let the white space do its job.
3. Resume Best Practices
This part went deeper into things like:
- Page length recommendations
- Margin and font size consistency
- What to include—and what to leave off (text boxes, personal pronouns, images, etc.)
- Tips for beating Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
We kept the formatting rules simple and digestible. We used lists where needed, but never let them become walls of text. One design choice that helped: breaking up standards by category (font, layout, content, language) and using subtle color contrast to group them.
4. Cover Letter Advice
We saved this for the second half of the presentation. The key message? A cover letter should spark interest—not regurgitate the resume. To help drive this point home, we used quote-style slide layouts with emphasis on key takeaways.
Visual & Brand Considerations
Reverb didn’t just want a generic slide deck—they wanted something that looked like them. So we incorporated:
- Brand-consistent colors with lots of white space for breathing room
- Legible fonts that work across devices
- A layout system that allows Reverb to reuse or tweak the slides for future workshops
- Slide numbers and clear section breaks for easy navigation
The visual style was intentional: neutral, but not boring. Clean, but not cold. The result is a deck that could be used in both small group coaching sessions and larger virtual webinars without needing reformatting.
Outcome
The final deck struck the right balance: professional without being stuffy, detailed without being overwhelming. Reverb loved the way the information flowed—and how easy it was for participants to follow along. Their team said it helped elevate the entire workshop experience.
The structure we used also gave them a framework they can use across future sessions on career development, job readiness, and internal upskilling programs.
Why It Worked
Too many resume workshops overload the audience. This one was built to teach with clarity. We focused on what matters:
- Getting hiring managers’ attention quickly
- Making formatting choices that support readability and scanning
- Helping job seekers quantify their experience and speak with impact
We didn’t try to reinvent the wheel—we just designed it so it rolled smoother.
Looking to improve your next presentation?
We design PowerPoints that do more than look good. They guide your audience from start to finish without losing them halfway through. Whether you’re training, pitching, or educating, we’ll help you say more with less.
Let’s make your next deck something people actually want to read.
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