Why white space is good – top tips from CV Writers

CV writing advice from CV Writers

Many people treat their CV like a petrol tank injecting liquid black ink into every conceivable corner. Whilst it may give the driver some confidence in pulling away from the petrol station with a full tank, that confidence is somewhat misplaced with an overloaded CV. Whilst there is no danger of the CV spontaneously combusting in the readers hands, it is also unlikely to ignite interest in your application: A CV crammed with too much information is simply too difficult to read.

Let your CV breathe

The eye finds it much easier to focus on something when there is clear space around it. If there are too many words crammed into a small space, everything is vying for your attention at once yet nothing actually grabs it. So, leave line breaks around headings so they have a good area of white space around them. Oh, and there is no need to title it ‘curriculum vitae’, just start with your name and contact details.

750 words is perfect for a two page CV

Of course there is a balance to be struck between white space and the number of words. As a general rule anything between 700 and 800 words should be fine in the standard A4 2 page format. Keep the font size to 11 or 12 and certainly no smaller than 10. It’s all about making the information presentable and easy to read. Nobody likes squinting.

Fancy fonts

Fancy fonts don’t look great in a CV. It’s a common misconception that using unusual fonts or even having several different fonts within a CV shows sophistication. It doesn’t. Use typefaces that are common and easy on the eye. Arial, Calibri or Tahoma are ideal. Try not to use a serif (curved) typeface like Times New Roman. These can come across as dated and don’t reproduce well if photocopied. And don’t use any colour other than black.

White space is not wasted space. It forms a vital part of the overall presentation of your CV. So make sure your CV is simple to navigate, uses an easy to read font and remember to give space a chance.