| TOP 3 TIPS HOW TO FORMAT A WINNING CV | | | | layout on the receiving end will be what you want |
| 1. MAKE USE OF ALL AVAILABLE SPACE AND | | | | it to be. |
| FORMATTING | | | | 3. MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO TYPOS, |
| A good graduate Curriculum Vitae should not | | | | SPELLING ERRORS, ETC |
| exceed 2 pages. Research proves that no more | | | | Any of those errors would get your CV straight |
| than 48% of interviewers read past page 1. In | | | | into the trash a good 90% of the time. The |
| other words, if you CV is 2 pages make sure you | | | | interviewer would think :"If you didn't bother |
| have all the important stuff (e.g. what makes | | | | taking 2 minutes to spell check your CV before |
| YOU stand out) in the first page and treat page 2 | | | | applying why should I hire you and spend months |
| as more of an annex. If the recruiter does not | | | | training you?" |
| read it, no big deal. | | | | C'mon, you have spell check tools everywhere |
| Having said this, you can put a LOT of information | | | | – how on earth can you have a mistake on |
| in one page. Use tables in word, they are an easy | | | | your resume? |
| way of making good use of space while making | | | | Make sure all formatting is consistent. Example, if |
| sure that everything is aligned as it should be. It is | | | | you say you studied in "Berlin, Germany" then you |
| impressive the number of CVs that have grey | | | | need to use the same [City],[Country] format |
| boxes, lines, double lines, etc. Always ask yourself: | | | | anywhere else in the CV. |
| how do they help you stand out? They don't. | | | | CONCLUSIONYour CV is your business card. You |
| They only take precious recruiter attention away | | | | have days, weeks, months to prepare it. You can |
| from the facts that make you a top candidate. | | | | ask for help either from friends, family or |
| 2. USE STANDARD FONTS AND COLOURS, PDF | | | | professionals. There is NO reason on earth why it |
| IF POSSIBLE | | | | should not be outstanding. The two primary |
| Arial or Times New Roman work best, white | | | | reasons for rejection at entry-level positions (i.e. |
| background with white text. No fancy animations. | | | | graduate level) |
| Many people (especially at interview stage) will | | | | 1. Simple mistakes that prove lack of preparation |
| print the CV on paper therefore any non-standard | | | | and attention to detail |
| colours and animations will not come through and | | | | 2. Not having in mind what the recruiter wants to |
| will make the CV look odd. | | | | know and instead dumping dates and degrees and |
| If you are sending your resume in electronic | | | | waiting for the interviewer to decipher them and |
| format try sending it in PDF format rather than | | | | work out why you are the best candidate. |
| MS Word if possible. It looks much more | | | | Following these tips will get you a long long way |
| professional and you are guaranteed that the | | | | into landing the job offer, with little effort. |