6 Quick Tips Of How To Make Your CV Look Good To The Eye

By Tabitha Makumi
How do you explain what makes you reach for a certain product at Tuskys Supermarket or wherever you like to shop?  You probably are used to that product so you stretch your hand and reach for it but what about a new product? Is it the way it’s packaged? The colour maybe? The name of the product?
It’s all about creating the right first impression based on what meets the eye and that’s how most people get to experience a new product.
Think of your CV as a product, does it appeal to the eye? Does it make the recruiter want to reach for it in a bunch of banal looking CV’s and go through it?
I am not advocating for you to go all bananas on your CV and give it some crazy looking back ground colour hoping that the recruiter will reach for it instead of the others. He/she will reach for it alright, but to throw it in the dustbin. How about trying some professionalism and maybe putting some class on it ?
Here are 6 tips of how you can do just that.
1.Be consistent . If you decide to go BOLD on  “Objective” also bold “Education” and “Skills” as well.
2.Use  white space effectively. A page packed with text may suggest a lot of impressive accomplishments, but it’s also no picnic to read. Last time I checked, most Kenyans do not like to read and the recruiter may not be an exception.
A good résumé should be easy to scan and see what’s what. So use one-inch margins and leave line breaks between different kinds of information.
3.Use a good-looking typography  (font )One or two font selections will do; you want a clean, businesslike look.
4.Watch the size of your text. Unless you are using an unusually-scaled typeface, your best bet for body text is size 10, 11 or 12. Too small is annoying to read, too large looks unprofessional.
5.Don’t use a prepackaged cliché kind of résumé template! Chances are, your prospective employer has already looked through fifty submissions using the default settings that came with some word processor.
Change the structure up a bit, sprinkle in a simple graphic elements even by adding small bullet points or a borders just to make your work stand out from the crowd.
6.Balance and organize the information. Solid text as if you are writing a novel won’t just cut it. Remember what I said earlier about Kenyans reading habits? Yep, that won’t cut it.
Think about ways to break up the text by using columns, bullets, lists and centering, and by grouping  relevant information into sections—this suggests organization, logical thinking and demonstrates to the reader that you will be able to deliver professional looking documents.
This pointers will sure give you an impeccable CV. But wait a minute, don’t let your CV be all show and nothing worthwhile to make you the right candidate.
I bet you feel bad when you purchase a product because it looks good on the outside but behold, it’s just crap on the inside.
Make the actual content on your resume worth the effort of following this 6 tips. You can go through out CV writing articles and learn all about CV writing techniques.
Remember, with a little extra effort, your résumé can set you apart from the other applicants right from the moment your future boss opens the envelope.
Good luck catching the eye of the right people at the right job for you!