CV Presentation  

The quality and presentation of your CV is vital when selling yourself. The appearance of your CV is an indication to a prospective employer of the type of person that may be working in their environment. There is no exact format for compiling a CV, but the following guideline is a sure fire way to avoid yours being rejected. 
 
The Good CV…

• Is no more than 2 pages max - long CV’s are regarded as time wasting. (If you have an extensive work history, use no more than a maximum of 4 pages.)
• Clearly states who you are, where you have been and what you have got to offer. Don’t hide your name with your personal information, put it in bold at the top of your CV and in a minimum of 12-14pt.
• Looks attractive - is well laid out, structured and easy to read.
• Include a catchy Personal Profile to grab the reader’s attention.
• Try to print on good quality paper - it may be circulated. Also remember to print on one side of the paper only.
• Use bulleted lists - short and concise points are clean and informative.
• All relevant work experience listed - make sure its written in reverse chronological order

The Bad CV…

• Avoid excessive references to “I, he or she” - Alternatively write “Employed as a Team Leader with 6 months practical experience in …..”
• Check for common spelling, grammatical and punctuation errors. Have someone read your CV, spouses and colleagues know your strengths and weakness and are often more than willing to criticise. 
• Don’t draw attention to any  negative descriptions - the idea of a CV is to sell yourself.
• Try not to highlight gaps in your work history – this might cause the reader to have doubts/questions about you. It is easier to discuss these details face to face at an interview.
• Avoid listing too many interests and personal information - think about what it is relaying to the reader.
• Avoid excessive use of CAPITALS, underlining, bold and italics, large fonts - NOT VERY USER FRIENDLY
• Don’t write long sentences, paragraphs or ramble - aim for concise information, less text is easier to read
• Make sure it’s not disorganised and unstructured - don’t make the reader switch back and forth between pages
• Avoid too many graphics, colours, rigid formatting
• Embedding photos - different software might distort your appearance – so be careful