Is My CV Design Too Much?

[Baggio]

Hey I'm writing a CV for the very first time for a job abroad (work placement) basically I've read that you should try and adopt your own style when writing it
I've attached a sort of design for mine and I was wondering if this would be too much? I want it to stand out :(

Thanks

 

[Moonbear]

I'd avoid anything distracting, like the colors and fancy headers. Some bold and italics would be okay to highlight things that are especially relevant to the job you're applying for, but anything more than that becomes distracting and is more likely to get it tossed into the circular file as unprofessional.

Sadly, it seems that the only thing needed to make a CV or resume stand out nowadays is to submit it without spelling and grammatical errors! Attention to detail is a job skill many people lack.

Also, if you're sending it to a large company, many of them use scanners to read the text and put it into a database to distribute electronically in a common format. If you use unusual fonts or colors, the software may have trouble reading it, resulting in it just being rejected.

The organization is most important. Make sure the experience/skills you have that are most relevant to the job you're applying for are right at the beginning where they stand out. For students who don't usually have a lot of relevant experience yet, starting off with a section titled "Relevant Experience and Coursework" is a good format. List experience first, coursework second. Bullet each separate work experience with a brief description of skills used or responsibilities. List all the coursework under a single bullet. Then a separate section can be entitled "Other experience" to highlight any other jobs you've held that may not pertain to the job, but show you have other skills. Again, highlight skills you've needed/acquired in those jobs, and keep it relevant (for example, if you worked as a cashier, don't list "operating cash register" as a skill, but you can list "developed customer service/customer relations skills"). Once you have relevant experience post-graduation, you'll drop off a bunch of the less relevant jobs held while paying your way through school, but when just starting out, those do help to show initiative and how well you manage your time by the number of things you've accomplished well.

If you have any awards, list those too. Determining to put them at the beginning or end depends on what they are and what the job is. For example, if you won an award for chemistry and are applying for a position as a chemist, put your awards up near the top, if you won a community service award, put it nearer the bottom (it's still relevant, could show you're a team player, etc, but not as directly pertinent as any work experience).

That's really where personal style comes in, deciding what you want to highlight, what items to put at the top, what to bullet, how to emphasize your personal skill set.

I'm sure others have suggestions as well, as there are many ways to organize a CV or resume that reflect a lot of personal preferences. The most important thing is to remember someone is reading a LOT of these, and the easier it is on their eyesight, the more likely it is they'll read yours completely.

 

[Joel]

I'm hardly an expert on this, but in addition to Moonbear's good suggestions a thing I've heard often is to keep in mind that your CV is always accompanied by the actual application, which is read first. You must first win your employers attention with the application, usually by relating the most important parts from your CV to the job you are applying for. That's why I try to stand out with my application and write my CV quite simply. It remains to be seen if that's a good idea or not, I'm hoping to get something else than a cafeé job for the summer.

 

[Baggio]

Thanks for the advice it was very useful. Experience is where my problem lies, the only experience I have is working at my dad's store during vacation and a work placement at an aerospace firm.

 

[Baggio]

I'm a bit confused. I've read all over the place about producing a CV which stands out in visually and in terms of content. Does anyone have any examples of a good CV design? I don't want to copy it, I just need to know how far I can go in terms of the design, I think I've got the content prety much sorted.

Also, I did a bit of freelance graphics design/programming in my summer vacations - would this go in the work experience section or should pit be tagged onto the "interests" section?

 

[Baggio]

Hi,

Ok I've done a draft of my CV I'd be very thankful if someone can read it and let me know what they think.. I haven't got much experience being an undergrad . I've blanked out the personal details for obvious reasons ;)

Thanks :)

 

[Baggio]

165 views and no opinions? :(

 

[JasonRox]

I think it looks nice.

I found that having a good attitude when meeting the manager is most important.

Although I don't have a top notch job, my boss said he hired me because out was outgoing and not scared when I applied. I didn't even fill an application either, and got hired the next day.

 

[Baggio]

Thanks,

In my case there wil be no interview, the placement I'm applying for is abroad so it's just the application form and CV they're concerned with.

 

[sandydsouza]

Hello,

Downloaded your resume PDF file but i didn't get any content written in that.Can you please send your resume again? so that i can give you some suggestion. Otherwise you can refer donline resume samples that will help you in writing resume.

 

[fluidistic]

Hello,

Downloaded your resume PDF file but i didn't get any content written in that.Can you please send your resume again? so that i can give you some suggestion. Otherwise you can refer donline resume samples that will help you in writing resume.

I don't think the OP minds now. He posted his CV like 7 years ago...