In this Chapter:

• creating an eye-catching CV
• the appropriate use of photographs
• keeping a copy
• success with application forms
• making the most of the internet.

Your CV or application form should have a highly professional image. A recruiter will typically spend only a couple of minutes scanning each CV. If they cannot see the information that they need right away, or your CV is full of spelling mistakes and badly photocopied on cheap paper, it will go into the reject pile.

Make sure that the appearance of your CV maintains your professional image.

Your CV or application form should:

• be clear and easy to read
• draw attention to your key selling points
• be attractive and professionally presented.

The internet has opened up new ways of sending and displaying CVs. If you are preparing a CV for the internet, you need to take account of how the system works to ensure that your information is easily accessible and appears to best advantage.

Is this you?

• I have been made redundant and money is tight. Do I really need to spend money on getting my CV printed and bound? Photocopies would be cheaper!
• I work as adesigner. Does my CV have to stick to the normal businesslike format or can I be more creative?
• I know that I’m photogenic. Wouldn’t it help if I included a photograph with my CV?
• How do I go about putting my CV on the internet?

Creating an eye-catching CV

Your CV should have a clear, attractive and businesslike format.

• Your CV should be no longer than three pages as an absolute maximum.
• Your CV should be visually attractive, with the text presented in neat blocks and plenty of blank space on each page. Leave wide margins and clear gaps between each block of text to make the information that you present stand out better.

• Choose a consistent style in which topresent your information throughout the CV. For example, you might centralise all the headings and show all dates on the right-hand side of the page. This makes it easier for the reader to find the information that they need in your CV.

Two suggested layouts are shown in Figures 3 and 4.

• Choose a businesslike font in a reasonable size. Restrict the use of bold and underlined text to the section headings, so that these stand out from the rest of your CV.
• Check your spelling, punctuation and grammar. If your application is not in your mother tongue, get it checked by a native speaker.
• Produce a fresh CV for each application using a word processor and laser printer. Manual typewriters and dot matrix printers give an amateurish result. Never send a photocopied CV.
• Use a high-quality, heavy A4 paper in white or cream, and a good quality envelope.
• If you are applying for a very senior job or one in which image is important (for example, sales or PR) you should bind your CV, using a high-quality and attractive binder that allows easy removal of the pages for photocopying. Preface your CV with a title page giving your name and contact details, and clip your covering letter to the front of the binder.

If you work in a creative industry, you do have more leeway for creativity in your CV than an accountant or solicitor would, but don’t let it become gimmicky. A CV is a serious business document and should be presented as such. Your information should be presented as professionally as you would present your design ideas to a client.

A professionally presented CV is expensive, but making the right impression increases your chances of getting the post that you want.

The appropriate use of photographs

You should not normally include a photograph with your CV. People form opinions about you very quickly from your appearance. If you do not fit the recruiter’s preconceived image of what the jobholder should look like, your CV will be heading straight for the reject pile.

Occasionally, you will be asked to send in a photograph of yourself. This is usually to assist the employer to remember which candidate is which at the interview stage. But remember the deep importance of first impressions. Get your picture taken by a professional photographer. Take great care to dress in a way that will create the right impression, and let the photographer know what image you are aiming to project. Once you have a result that you are happy with, have a stock of pictures printed for future use, as reprints are expensive and take time.

Keeping a copy

Having a copy of each CV and covering letter that you send out will be crucial in helping you to prepare for interviews. Always keep a copy of each, filed with any advertisement or other information about the company that you have, so that you can easily retrieve the details when you need them.

Success with application forms

If a company asks you to complete an application form, don’t send a CV instead as this may lead to you being automatically rejected.

When completing an application form you need to decide how to present your key selling points to maximum advantage within the set format you have been given.

• Photocopy the form, do as many rough drafts as necessary and then prepare a perfect final copy.
• Don’t cram so much information into the space given that it becomes difficult for the reader to pick out the important points. If you really need more space, you can add an extra page or two, but it is best to avoid doing this, as a reader scanning a pileof forms to select those of most interest may fail to read those pages.
• The final copy should be free from crossings-out and easy to read – if possible, get it typed.

Making the most of the internet

There are two ways of preparing a CV for the internet:

• create your CV as a site on the World Wide Web, which recruiters can then access
• create a CV as an email to send out to recruiters.

Today’s software means that creating a site for your CV on the internet is quick and easy. In theory, this makes your CV available to tens of thousands of recruiters world-wide. It also opens up all kinds of possibilities for advertising yourself. Your CV can include a ‘showcase’ of your work – for example, an architect can include photographs of houses he has designed, or a web-page author can give links to sites she has created.

Unfortunately, recruiters rarely have the time to surf the net looking for new employees. You are pretty unlikely to get a call from someone who has stumbled across your page on the web and wants to ask you to an interview. Website CVs are of most use as backup to a paper CV containing your web address, or (if you are a consultant) your normal advertising.

If you decide to create a website CV, concentrate on selling your skills and experience rather than creating a fancy page. Graphics, video and sound prolong the download time for your page and should only be used where they genuinely add to your message. Check that the finished result is still attractive and legible when viewed through different browsers and when printed out.

It is more likely that you will use the internet to email your CV to a recruiter. This enables you to get your CV to a recruiter in minutes rather than days, without having to pay for postage.

• Only email your CV to a company if they have invited you to do so. Don’t send out speculative CVs all over the internet; this kind of junk mail is called ‘spamming’ and users hate it.
• Put your CV in the main body of the email message. You can send an attachment as well, but this may not get opened if the recruiter is pushed for time, lacks the right software or is nervous about computer viruses.
• Make sure that the recruiter can read your message. Unless both you and the recruiter use the same software and the same settings, the document that they receive may look quite different from the one that you saw on your screen. Minimise any problems by writing your CV in plain text, without using formatting such as bold, italics and underlining (you can use capital letters, however). If you are creating your CV as a document to cut and paste into your email message, save it as an ASCII file. Once your CV is complete, email it to yourself to see how it will appear to a recipient and print off a copy to check that it will be legible as a printout. If possible, email it to several friends who use different software to see if they can read it easily. A CV added to the email as an attachment should ideally be created using Microsoft Word, as most recruiters will be able to read a Word document.
• Compose the CV so that the first screen that the reader sees grabs their attention and makes them scroll down the page to see more. A brief summary of your key selling points is a lot better than your address and telephone number; these can go at the bottom of the page. Enter the vacancy that you are applying for in the ‘subject’ box of the email and don’t include a covering letter.
• The internet is not a secure means of sending information. Never use it to give out information that could be of use to a criminal, such as your National Insurance number.

In summary...

• Make sure that your CV catches the eye of the recruiter for the right reasons – its professional and attractive appearance.
• Don’t send in a photograph unless you are asked to. If you have to send in a photograph, make sure that it projects the right image.
• Keep a copy of your CV for future reference.
• If you complete an application form, make sure the content and appearance are professional.
• Find out how to use the internet and make use of the opportunities it provides.