How To Make Your CV Stand Out With Microsoft Word

Whilst it is important to know what goes into a CV, knowing how to make a CV look good on Word is a totally different ball game. And it is a very important skill to learn. This blog post aims to show how you can do that. Now MS Word does offer templates that you can use to create a CV. But these template don't offer any flexibility in regards to making your CV look and feel unique. And believe it or not, HR managers can spot an MS Word template CV from a mile away. So it is best to avoid it. So to help you make your CV stand out from the crowd using MS Word, here are 5 tips that you can use:

1. Using Different Styles for Headings and Subheadings

When writing a CV on Word, you will be using different sections to highlight your different skills, qualifications and work experience. Having a CV which clearly separates these different areas will help recruiters read your CV much easier. And using different styles can help make your CV stand out. To apply a different styles on headings or subheadings, simply use your cursor and click-and-drag over the area of text that you would like to change. Then on the ribbon near the top of the Word document, select Home, then select to area of the ribbon where it says Styles (see print screen below). Right click on this and then choose Modify, followed by Format. Here, you can choose the font and the style for your subheading. It is also highly advisable to embolden your sub headings too.

2. Add Bullet points

Bullet points helps to make your CV easier to read. The last thing you want your CV to be is contain long paragraphs. Recruiters simply don't have the time to read through this. They want to see CVs that are straight to the point. And thankfully, bullet points can make your CVs  more direct and to the point. To add bullet points, simply select Home as before, then select the bullet point icon (screen shot below). On selecting the bullet point icon, you will be presented with different bullet point options. I would advise to stick with the humble single dot bullet point.

3. Adding Tables

Tables help to make information look organised and easier to digest. It also tells the recruiters that you have good computing skills. A good example of using tables on a  CV is to list transferable skills that are relevant to the role. Another good example for use of tables is to list your qualifications and highlight any modules that would seem relevant to the role that you are applying for. To add a table, first you must place the cursor to where you want the table to appear. Then click on the Insert tab on the ribbon bar at the top. Then select the Table icon (see screen shot below). This will present a grid which will allow you set the dimensions of the table (i.e. how many rows and columns you want). Then you can input the relevant information in their appropriate fields. You can also adjust the width of the column using the resize handle which appear when you put the mouse over the table borders. You can even make the borders appear invisible by right clicking on the table, select Borders and Shading and then set the Borders | Setting to None. This allows your CV to appear more structured without the clutter of extra lines.

4. Setting Page Margins to Get More Space

The number one rule when making a CV is make sure your CV is no longer than two pages. This can be very difficult to do, especially when you feel that you have a lot to offer and you struggle to keep it concise. So to help you to gain more room to add information, you can set page margins to narrow to gain more space. To do this, select Page Layout on the ribbon. Then select the Margins icon (see screen shot below), and select the margin setting called Narrow.

5. Adjusting Line Spacing

You can gain more space by adjusting the line spacing — the space in-between the lines. To do so, choose the Home tab on the ribbon. Then , click on the Line spacing icon (see print screen below).

Presentation is Key

Having a well laid out CV is crucial to gaining the attention of recruiters. But rememeber that the content is just as important as the layout. Find out how to make the content stand out. Thanks for reading. Do you know of any other tips that will help your CV stand out from the crowd on Microsoft Word? Let us know in the comments section below.
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