Presentability and Other Risks in a Resume and Cover Letter

Its is common that many job seekers look forward to prospect employers reading through their CVs to establish what their true potentials are. The risk that many often do is to assume that none of the targeted attributes can be picked from the resume. Some of the very judgments that can come from perusing through ones CV without even reading the content are issues to do with language prowess, personality, sense of style, personal organization and resource management orientation. Below are some of the common aspects of judgment that a prospect employer may have.

§ The choice of fonts may distinguish between the extent of formality or otherwise. Some fonts are better reserved for entertainment posters. The same would apply to the choice of bullet types

§The setting of your document and particularly the consistency of your spacing denting or even the variation in fonts may betray ones self proclaimed proficiency in computers. Worse than this, it may as well show such aspects like lack of organization and consistency. This may be very risky for such positions like Executive Assistant or Secretary to the Managing Director

§Whereas many employers are keen to limit the number of pages in a CV, some candidates may stay within such limits but the utilization of space is questionable. The most common type of utilization is that in which the main contents are indented towards the extreme right side leaving a half a page for only headers and reference to dates. This may manifest itself as a potential lack of resource optimization skills or attributes

§That recruiters are people with biases is not questionable. Some employers may ask for photos for applicants while other may not. A photo may attract a bias depending on the viewer’s inclinations. Hair styles, facial expressions or even personal grooming may attract the risk of subconscious bias.

With a CV or cover letter, first impressions really matter. Limit your risks and take every opportunity to impress the reader from the outward presentation.

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