CVs and Interviews

How important is the visual appearance of your CV?

I believe there are 3 key ingredients to an impact CV – Content, Information Positioning and Visual Appearance. I rank Visual Appearance number 3 and least important of the 3 points. Content is number 1 and information positioning is number 2.

CV Writing – What do I mean by content?

“It’s amazing the difference words make. I feel so confident looking over my CV and I hardly even recognise myself”. This is a testimonial for one jobseeker I reworked a CV for. I have hundreds of testimonials but the above words stand out. CV content is critical and without doubt the most important aspect of CV writing. Unfortunately most jobseekers fail with content on three key points. (a) They write a CV about themselves focusing on information that they think is important and ignore the employer. Tip: Embrace the potential reader and their requirements. Your CV is a marketing document focused on the reader. (b) They “can’t see the wood for the trees” and are unable to communicate duties and responsibilities which minimises ability to sell themselves. Tip: If you are having difficulty outlining duties and responsibilities then brainstorm with some friends or cheat and review descriptions of similar jobs online (c) They fail to breathe life into their CV with facts, examples and achievements. Tip: If you “talk the talk” you must “walk the walk”. Helping paint a picture for the reader will help your CV stand out.

CV Writing – What do I mean by information positioning?

There are mixed messages on the topic of CV layout/format. Most CV “experts” will tell you exactly what information your CV should contain and in what order it should be found on the document. Much of this information is stiff and dated. A CV is a fluid document and should not be tied to a rigid layout. CV’s are similar to newspapers and the important headlines have to make the first page. I have created a CV with References on the first page and another CV with Hobbies & Interests on the first page. Why? Because it was relevant information to help sell the jobseekers for that particular role. Never leave it to chance that the reader will progress to the second page of your CV. More than likely they will have made a decision as to your suitability for interview before they get to the end of the first page.

CV Writing – What do I mean by visual appearance?

Quite simply this means that your CV is easy on the reader’s eye. Visual appearance does not rank as my number one priority but it cannot be ignored. I am a fan of the “Clean & Simple” CV. I believe that you can still produce a professional document without the bells and whistles. There is nothing too complex here – white space, clear headings, bullet points, uniformity of font type and size. Effective visual appearance does not have to mean fancy font or coloured paper.

Quite often jobseekers want a CV that looks good but has no substance. They focus on what the CV looks like rather than what it says. If your strategy is to land interviews through quirky CV design you might have an extended time period in the job market. Your CV may stand out visually from the others in the pile but will hit the bin when read. Change your focus now with the following tips:

1. Ensure your content packs punch and integrates quantifiable facts and figures. This will make a greater impression on the reader.
2. Ensure any relevant information make front page headlines. If it doesn’t make front page it might not get read.
3. Keep the layout and design of your CV clean and simple. Fancy designs might get you noticed but won’t get you the interview unless there is substance to match.

CV Writing Service Ireland

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 12th, 2009 at 4:59 pm and is filed under CV, CV Examples, CV Expert, CV Format, CV Layout, CV Tips, CV Writing Service. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.