Posted by on Wednesday, October 29th, 2008 at 12:47 pm.
Working in a professional design studio for over 2 years now, I have seen my fair share of CVs sent in by students. Usually my directors ask me to arrange recruitment advertising, keep a close eye on applications, and sit in on interviews.
Having a recruitment page on our web-site, and our own permanent page on Design Week’s recruitment section, there is always a steady stream of incoming CVs from students and graduates. I remember on one day at the end of last summer we received about 20.
After opening up many attached PDFs, Word Documents, and on more than one occasion, Notepad, some CVs take your breath away.
Here are some of the most common mistakes / shockers that my colleagues and I see on CVs (In no particular order):
Problems with CV Presentation
- Smudged Ink.
- Too Large a Typeface used and a terrible typeface used.
- Emailed files are corrupt, or damaged.
- A Front Cover.
- CV runs onto far too many pages.
- Something has been dropped into the background (Shapes or an illustration).
- Over-design, too many different typefaces, colours and images dropped in.
Problems with the CV’s Contents
- Spelling Mistakes.
- Employment History that is irrelevant (A paper round was the worst one I saw).
- Too much content.
- An unnecessary breakdown of Qualifications and the addition of pointless ones.
- Salary Expectation has been added.
- A stupid email address like dirty_smack_head_86@yahoo . . . .
Whilst the above issues are a general consensus at our company, taste and expectations vary from company to company. If you are applying for a web design or graphic design position, you should view the presentation of your CV part of the interview process. I have seen CVs go in the bin without being read, purely from their presentation.
The best advice that I can give when it comes to writing a CV, bearing in mind the issues above, is to follow these basic guidelines.
- Try to keep your CV on one A4 Page, unless your lengthy employment history dictates a second page.
- Typography is very important. Try typesetting in a dark gray, Sans-Serif, and reasonably small.
- Have your CV in clear sections so that your Employment History, Qualifications etc can be easily identified.
- Avoid using personal Avatars, Logos, etc as they can make you look too much like a Freelancer.
- Do not combine your CV with a mini-portfolio, you should include a mini-portfolio separately, if requested.
- Spellcheck your CV, and have at least 2 other people read it over for you.
- University and College qualifications are the most important. GCSEs shouldn’t be broken down too much, I would recommend ’10 x GCSE’s grade A-C’ as an example.
- Get to the point, and state the facts, don’t waffle and go on about how much you enjoy going to the cinema.
- If you are posting your CV, print carefully on good quality paper. If you are emailing your CV, send it as a PDF, not a Word Document.
Other than that, I don’t want to say too much, as a CV should be individual, and an accurate representation of the applicant. In my experience, a bad CV usually indicates it will be a bad interview. We have overlooked some poor CVs and offered interviews, most of which don’t go very well. If you are a serious, talented and hard working designer, looking for a full time position, your CV should and will, reflect this.
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on November 12th, 2008 Says:
Very interesting blog. I would also suggest that people avoid trying to be humourous on their CV. Omit reasons for leaving and salary expectations.
on November 12th, 2008 Says:
Would agree with your comments – especially this one “A stupid email address like dirty_smack_head_86@yahoo”
I have seen many CV’s let down because they have included a completely inappropriate email address.
If needs be create a new email account when applying for jobs with a more suitable name.
on March 16th, 2009 Says:
Personally I find that the cover-letter can also let people down in a big way. It’s usually the first thing that we see when we open an envelope or email, and that gives an impression before the CV has even been read – sometimes a bad impression if they can’t string a sentence together or have numerous spelling mistakes. I’m not a grammar teacher but I would expect candidates to at least put the effort into proof-reading and spell-checking!
on May 4th, 2009 Says:
“Employment History that is irrelevant (A paper round was the worst one I saw).”
Sadly, people still think that the more experiences they lay down on their CV, the better it is for their profile. Relevancy, that is co-relation between your skills set and the post that you are applying for, is still a huge factor for your successful CV.
on May 26th, 2009 Says:
For those with little experience in designing a CV you can use CV Demon CVs online or export your CV to a word doc template. Good service for graduates needing to put together thier CV. It also allows portfolio uploads and Video CVs.