My Career Egypt - Resume Presentation
You may have heard property gurus saying location, location, location and when it comes to your resume you should think of presentation, presentation, presentation but do not be misdirected because your content is also vital for securing that all important job interview however if you have valuable content badly presented you have already lost. Your presentation will give your reader the vital first impression and this can make all the difference between failure and success.
Remember your interpretation of a good presentation will differ between yourself and that of your reader. Placing colourful lines, circles, the use of images is not what we are referring to here. You are applying for a professional position and not for the position of head clown in a circus. Keep your resume professional. And in this section we will be covering: colour, fonts, printing - design, spaces, readability, bullet points and photos.
Why is presentation so important?
 Put yourself in the shoes of the recruiter or the employer who will be reading your resume, especially when you have a hundred more CV’s to read. Get my point? A good presentation creates a good first impression and can actually attract the recruiter, and that is what you want. You want the recruiter to want to read further, you want to keep him or her interested.
The use of Colour
Black is the colour that is widely accepted when writing your resume but in some case it is acceptable to make limited use of colour. In most cases the recruiters are expecting to see a resume in black and white and although colour can make your resume standout amongst other resumes’ using colour for this purpose is not recommended. It can easily be perceived as your resume has something to hide.
Printing and Fonts
I would like to consider the information age as a time where everyone has a computer and no one has the intend on sending a hand written resume. In todays age it is not a good idea to send in your hand written resume with an application for a vacancy. Printing or typeface we refer to the name of the font and when we refer to the fonts it normally refers to the font size, bold fonts or italic.
Typeface
Earlier in this article we spoke about keeping your presentation professional and keeping this in mind it is good advise to be conservative in the use of your typeface and therefore the good general rule for an acceptable typeface for your resume - choose a typeface that is easy to read. Therefore do not stray to far from the use of Time New Roman, Arial and Tahoma.
Fonts
Changing the size of fonts, bold and italic fonts are generally accepted however one should avoid excessive use throughout your resume. Create a plan: Headings “Font size, colour, bold and or italic”. The headings you want to standout choose a font size of around 14, keep the fonts for the content the same - size between 11 and 12. Choose bold and italic for keywords you want to have standout. Smaller text can be used for information that is less important but may be required by the employer for eg. Brief description of your previous employer.
Here is an Example of the use of colour, typeface and fonts covered:
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Belle Stanley Bishop (Font Size 26)
Unit Number • Street Address • Area • Postal Code (Font size 12)
Home: your home number • Mobile: your telephone number • Email: youremail@yourisp.com
SALES AND MARKETING PROFESSIONAL (Capital letters font size 12)
Business-Wide Transformation - Export Strategy - Marketing Specialist - Emerging Market Expertise (Font size 9)
Throughout a progressive international career has engaged at board level to design and deliver successful marketing strategies, corporate strategies, brand management and design. Offers expert knowledge of market research techniques to help senior management with key decision making, working with business owners, Government agencies and international stakeholders to create more globally-focussed organisations.
An MBA (Marketing) graduate who employs a motivational leadership style to lead multi-cultural teams, securing consensus for promoting marketing strategies to facilitate brand recognition and product growth. Complements this with both in-house and consultancy experience, working with blue-chip clients to deliver bottom line growth.
Professional Skills Summary (Font size 12)
Marketing: Design and implementation of strategic marketing plans • Brand, design, launch & brand management • Media marketing - online/offline • Advanced internet marketing skills
Business Development / Sales Management: Identifies and secures blue-chip clients • Track record of driving sales • Executive contract negotiation • Drives development on both a commercial and cultural level
Export Strategy: Designs and delivers export strategies • Detailed knowledge of the complexities of international trade • Creates supporting infrastructures to facilitate a move into the international arena • Influences and negotiates with western organisations to introduce the concept of trading with emerging markets
Programme / Project Management: Leads business-wide change programmes • End-to-end life-cycle management • Project planning & budgeting • Preparation of GANNT charts • Project delivery within stringent deadlines • Knowledge of MS Project • Management of finances, staff and strategies across a project
Business Analysis: Use of business analysis tools (Porters, STEEP, SWOT) • KPI & operational analysis • Collates and analyses data from across a business to deliver improvement solutions
Career History
SALES AND MARKETING MANAGER, SPECTRUM, Dubai [Nov 98 - Sept 08]
(Spectrum is an Electronics Manufacturing Company producing electronic power supplies, computer acquisition cards.
Worked at an executive level in the leadership of a high-profile business transformation programme to move the company from a family-owned mentality to an international operation with the infrastructure and capability needed to compete within a global economy
Responsibility 2.
Responsibility 3
Etc
SALES ASSISTANT, LOTUS, Dubai [Feb 91 - Oct 98]
(Lotus is a cable and wire manufacturing company extruding cables for the electrical utilities and automotive markets.
Responsibility 1.
Responsibility 2.
Responsibility 3
Etc
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Readability
The more readable your resume the more effective it will communicate your skills and experiences to the recruiter. When your resume is easy to read the better the chances are that the recruiter will read through your entire Resume and again increase your chances at getting an interview.
The use of Bullet Points
Bullet points are a great way to make a list of points easy for the recruiter to read but the use of these bullet points should not be taken lightly. The trick here is to get all the vital information into this point without making it into a long tiresome paragraph that loosers your readers interest.
A good example:
A strong cultural change role, introducing staff to the methodologies associated with international trade and western ideology. Engaged with staff at all levels to address feelings of distrust and effectively communicated how European trade regulations impact Middle Eastern exports
Layout Consistency
Remember most recruiter will be working under a strict time pressures so keep your resume presentation easy to read and consistent throughout the entire document.
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