Writing an effective CV - Part 9

Do:

•     Make sure that the CV is pleasing to the eye.  Most CV’s are read on screen at first, so use a font that is clear and easy to read.
•     Get feedback.  Ask someone else to read it before you send it anywhere, we often get so involved in the CV, we can’t see errors or areas where we haven’t done ourselves justice.
•     Include a Linked In profile address if you have one.  They will probably check you out anyway, but it shows you are an active networker.
•     Use bullet points. Short punchy statements help maintain white space on the page and get to the point quickly.
•     Print out a copy.  Documents can look different on paper than they do on screen, so holding a copy in your hands can help you spot any formatting errors and assess the readability.
•     Explain any career gaps.  The reader may question any gaps between roles, if they aren’t explained they will make up their own answers!

Don’t:

•     Overkill on the formatting.  No colour, use a single font all the way through, no overuse of bold or underlining.  Particularly don’t underline key words, it is very patronising to the reader!   
•     Include a photo. Photos will dramatically increase the size of the file and also may cause the file to get stopped by firewalls that don’t allow embedded images.
•     Go over two pages.  The reader will not be impressed if there is too much information to get through.
•     Summarise as much as possible, whilst retaining the key facts that the reader is interested in.
•     Lose sight about who the CV is about.  Too much detail about your company, your department or your teams efforts will detract from the focus of the CV – YOU!
•     Include reasons for leaving.  If they are interested, they can ask.  If you are not there to explain, this is one area that is open to interpretation.
•     Put Curriculum Vitae at the top of the page.  We know what it is, don’t waste space with latin that most people wouldn’t be able to translate (it means path of life!)