CV Presentation

Remember - first impressions count and if your CV looks untidy, cluttered, muddled, or there's simply too much information to read, then you won't get very far with it. There are some simple guidelines when it comes to layout:

1. Your CV must be clean and tidy, and without creases, smudges or ink blots. Try your best to produce it on a PC and print it out on a laser printer. If you are still using a typewriter make sure you type absolutely perfectly; there should be no sign of any correction fluid covering up your mistakes.
2. Only handwrite the CV if the company insists on it, and then use black ink as it photocopies better. If you are going to use handwriting, be aware that some employers use handwriting analysts, so take your time, and make sure it's neat.
3. The layout must be clear and neat, so avoid cramped or crowded pages. Keep a reasonable margin down the left-hand side of the page, use simple blocks of text and make sure the text is justified (i.e. aligned to both the left and the right hand margins).
4. Keep it simple, and keep it professional. Select an easy-to-read font, such as Helvetica, Arial, Bookman or Times New Roman. Do not mix fonts or point sizes, stay with one for the entire document (most CVs have point sizes of 10, 11 or 12). Above all, don't try to do anything too fancy, especially with typefaces.
5. Use bold and italics sparingly. The more you change a font style, even using the same font, the more confused your document becomes.
6. Don't try to cram everything on to one page if it simply doesn't fit. Either move to a second page or see if it can be edited or the layout modified to keep to one page.
7. Try to have plenty of white space - it makes your CV look appealing and easy to read.
8. Using bullet points will allow you to pull out the punchy bits and separate your ideas clearly. They look professional on the page and they will help the reader to pick out what is important.
9. It is absolutely essential that you avoid spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. Use the spell check and grammar check facility in your word processing software, but don't rely on it - make sure you check it yourself as well.
10. Have at least two people proof read your C.V. along with you to make sure that it is accurate, easy to understand, clear, professional and grammatically correct.

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