What is the first thing you want to see on a resume? (i.e., education, job history, summary, what they can bring to your organization, etc.)

If the applicant has been out of school for several years then I want to see job history first. If they’re a recent graduate then education first is fine. A summary or what they can bring to the organization is better off included in a stellar cover letter.

Does the resume have to follow a standard, cookie-cutter format, or is there room for creativity in design so as to appeal to your eye?

Professional but creative is fine, but nothing too elaborate or fancy. It should be in black ink and in a standard font. I don’t want to squint to read it or to search to find relevant information.

What things don't you need to see? (i.e., hobbies and interests).

Unless it’s relevant I don’t need to see hobbies or interests. It’s easy to look like empty filler. I especially don’t want to see marital status, number of children, or age. Not only do I not want to run into legal issues, but I would assume that the applicant thought that these particular things would make him or her a “better” applicant than someone else married/single/older/younger/with kids/without kids/etc, which would make me question their judgement or ability to work in a professional environment.

If you received the perfect resume, what would it look like?

Easy to read, answers all of my pressing questions, has contact information, covers what needs to be covered but cuts out the fluff.

What's more important to you, the candidate's education, or the candidate's work history?

Work history, but education can be important, too, especially if the applicant is a recent graduate. One thing: NEVER put your GPA on your resume (unless required) if it’s not good. In fact, I don’t want to see it even if it is good. I’d rather see examples of your diligence and intelligence through your other work. And, personal pet peeve, please don’t sign letters with your academic title, especially if it’s a BA or MA (or in one case, an AA) – so many people in this field have a lot of education, and sometimes, fair or not, if it looks like you think your academic training makes up for work experience (like a PhD student with no relevant work experience applying for a high level curatorial job, for example) you could end up shooting yourself in the foot. Like others have said, work history and education should work together. You can further strengthen the larger package of how everything works together to make you the perfect fit for this particular job in your cover letter.

Thank you to any who choose to respond.