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Don’t ignore the importance of white space in your CV

Written by: Neville Rose
Published on: 21 Dec 2015

CV advice for finance professionals

Many job seekers try to pack far too much text into their CV. You should certainly look to keep your CV to a 2 page format but not by reducing the font size and packing as much text as possible. As a finance professional you need to include information on your key successes but not to the point where your CV is just a seething mass of copy with no white space to counterbalance it. You need to use white space effectively in your CV and here’s how you do that.

Balance

White space acts as a balance to the written word. It creates a sense of harmony to the document. The first thirty seconds reading a CV are the most important; that’s when you really pull the reader in. You don’t want to create a sense of chaos or make the reader feel rushed or frenetic. You want the reader to feel settled and relaxed so they can take everything in that they need to.

White space is key

You may not think so but white space makes your CV far more readable and engaging. This is because the human eye needs space to really focus on something; it prefers a clear periphery. White space makes your paragraphs, headings and bullet points stand out and seem more prominent.

Great for navigation

White space makes your CV easy to navigate. Readers can prioritise what they want to look at quickly and efficiently which means that they are able to identify your relevant strengths sooner. Different readers are looking for different things so it’s important that you try to make it easy for them to find what it is they are looking for.

2 pages, under 800 words

A good rule of thumb is to keep your CV to two pages and use no more than 800 words.  You should be able to say what needs to be said without reducing the font size; keep that to 11 or 12 to make it an easy read.

Modern Fonts

Use fonts like Calibri, Tahoma or Arial. These are contemporary and look great when printed. Don’t use curved fonts like Times New Roman as these look old fashioned and could date your CV.  You want your CV to present a modern and professional image.

Remember: white space is not wasted space. It forms an essential part of the overall look of your CV. It makes your CV simple to navigate. Combine this with an easy to read typeface and your CV is in a good place. Using white space effectively is a must for any serious job hunter so, best of luck.

CV Writers are the official CV writing partner to PF Jobs. In addition to CV writing, they can help with cover letters, Linkedin profiles and much more. They also publish Perfect CV which includes a CV check, CV template and a series of how to write a CV videos.