It’s amazing how little attention many job seekers pay to the quality of their CV. However, when applying for a job, your CV is like the foundation of the whole building. Getting it wrong at this stage can seriously diminish your chances of being hired. And when is comes to CV formats, their are a plethora of choices out there. Which begs the question, which format should you choose?

Before you answer that all important question, let’s take a quick run through of the different facets that distinguish one format from another.

1. Structure and organization
2. Font type, size and colour
3. Presentation
4. Style and
5. Design

Let’s now take a good look at what really constitutes each aspect.

Structure and Organization

The structure and organization of a CV refers to how the different parts of this all important document are arranged. This includes things like the order in which the different segments are arranged – also, which aspects make the list. For example, it has become best practice nowadays to replace your objective section which a career summary. Also, there’s no need – unless otherwise stated in the job advert – to include your date of birth. Arranging your past positions in reverse chronological order is preferred by most hiring managers, as well as the fact that your experience should come before you education etc. These are some of things to put into consideration to ensure that the best structure and organisation is used.

…there’s no need – unless otherwise stated in the job advert – to include your date of birth.

Font Type, Size and Colour

For readability, basic font types like Arial, Verdana, Calibri, and Times New Roman are recommended. Font sizes should be between 10 and 12. It is also generally advisable to keep your document in black and white, except for those applying for creative design positions. This ensures that hiring manager is not distracted when reading your CV, and to allow Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) properly scan your document easily.

For readability, basic font types like Arial, Verdana, Calibri, and Times New Roman are recommended.

Presentation

Presentation here refers to how you outline your skills and accomplishments. Use figures and quantities rather than vague adjectives such as “well”, “good”, “best” etc. For instance, saying you achieved 120% of your target is better than just saying you overshoot your target. Give them quantities to work with, as numbers sound more credible than words.

Use figures and quantities rather than vague adjectives such as “well”, “good”, “best” etc.

Style

As for your writing style, always keep it simple. This is not the time and place for grandiose words. Save those for your dissertation. Go straight to the point, and always remember that your CV is a formal document and should be devoid of contractions like “I’d”, “It’s”, “Doesn’t” etc. Choose a balanced mix of both short and long sentences. Accurate punctuation is also important.

Design

Finally, the design of your CV should be consistent. If you decide to make any aspect bold, underlined or italicized, ensure that you consistently replicate this in all sections. Also ensure that you don’t overdo this, to prevent your pages from looking too busy and confusing. In a nutshell, you need to thread softly on design as most companies now use ATS during the first selection process. Too much design can confuse Applicant Tracking Systems and make them ‘spit out’ your CV.

Too much design can confuse Applicant Tracking Systems and make them ‘spit out’ your CV.

These are some of the important tips to keep in mind when selecting a CV format, to ensure that end game of getting hired is not sacrificed on the alter of a beautiful design.