Comic Sans and the Death of CV Writing (CV Writers Beware!)

By Steve Szita,

Director, Dazzling CVs Ltd.

www.dazzlingcvs.co.uk

 

Comic Sans walks into a pub. The barman looks up and says, ‘We don’t serve your type.’

Yes, it’s a bad, bad joke but it does underline a very strong undercurrent of annoyance (rage in some quarters that many find difficult to suppress) that accompanies this font whenever and wherever it’s used.

You’ve all seen Comic Sans probably more times than you realise. After all, it’s virtually everywhere.

And this is what it looks like. What a beauty, huh?

But how did this poor innocent font end up so despised? Well, let’s go back to the beginning, because that itself gives clues as to what went wrong…

Comic Sans has only been around since 1994. Yes, I know it seems like a lot longer (was there really a time before Comic Sans?) – but don’t be fooled. That’s just one tiny part of its insidious nature!

It was created by Designer Vincent Connare. While working for Microsoft, he was asked to check a children’s programme call Microsoft Bob. The programme’s ‘Welcome’ screen showed a cartoon dog speaking in a text bubble. However, much to Connare’s surprise and displeasure, the dog was speaking in Times New Roman. He felt that this was completely wrong. The font was too conservative and restrained, unlike the fun and colourful cartoon it was placed in. So, he set about designing a friendly and informal font that was more appropriate for the comic book environment.

This is where things started to go wrong. When completed, someone at Microsoft saw the font and instantly took a shine to it. Before Connare knew it, it had been included in Windows 95 and was readily available in applications such as Word. The genie was out of the bottle. Pandora’s Box was open. It had been released onto an unsuspecting global public. Like a plague, it wasn’t long before Comic Sans was springing up all over the world and appearing on everything.

Instead of staying in children’s games and on children’s party invitations that parents create in MS Word, Comic Sans quickly developed a momentum of its own. Restaurants started using it on menus, companies starting to advertise with it on the sides of their vehicles, shops put up ‘Sale now on’ signs in their windows. If you thought this was bad, then take a deep breath. Comic Sans even found its way onto tombstones, emergency exits signs and hospital wards!!!

As the Ban Comic Sans movement, set up by two Indianapolis graphic designers, Dave and Holly Combs, say, the latter uses are “analogous to showing up for a black-tie event in a clown costume”.

So, why is it so widely used? How has it made the jump from a children’s font that is cutesy, dumb and immature to a global phenomena? Is there something inherently attractive in it that only certain people can see (in the same way certain people get drawn into cults or watching ‘Top Gear’?). Microsoft itself has called it “A groovy script font that is extremely readable on-screen at small sizes making it a useful text face”. But then they own it, so they would.

Certainly, it’s not an easy font to read for any length of time and it’s very hard on the eye after only a few lines. The shape and thickness of the letters cause eye strain. Many argue that sans serif fonts are harder to read than serif fonts, because they don’t possess the little ‘tails’ on each letter that lead your eyes neatly into each new word. This doesn’t necessarily have to be a problem if the sans serif font is clean, elegant and well constructed, such as Arial or Verdana. Also, these fonts have a well constructed default kerning. Comic Sans doesn’t. Another major criticism of the font is that its too easy to see – too noticeable. So, whatever its used for, you don’t see the message. You see the messenger.

All this boils down to one shattering but inevitable conclusion. CVs should NEVER, NEVER, NEVER be written in Comic Sans.

Got that.

Why? Because it’s too childish. Too informal. Would you include clip art of Mickey Mouse or My Little Pony on your CV? No. Then why would you use Comic Sans? Let me illustrate this further: Which one of these people would you be more likely to employ (unless you were employing clowns, of course).

Consider this statement written in Arial:

Strong marketing background and qualifications, diverse operating experience with functional expertise in International Sales and Marketing, new business development, strategic planning.

Now again in Comic Sans:

Strong marketing background and qualifications, diverse operating experience with functional expertise in International Sales and Marketing, new business development, strategic planning.

Doesn’t really have the same impact, does it?

Or how about this, written in Times New Roman:

A committed, proactive and dynamic professional with extensive experience in the engineering design industry. Possesses a wealth of knowledge gained in the automotive sector and familiar with all current CAD and design packages appropriate to the industry, coupled with extensive professional exposure to an impressive range of leading manufacturers.

And again in Comic Sans:

A committed, proactive and dynamic professional with extensive experience in the engineering design industry. Possesses a wealth of knowledge gained in the automotive sector and familiar with all current CAD and design packages appropriate to the industry, coupled with extensive professional exposure to an impressive range of leading manufacturers.

So, who would you rather employ?

Therefore, I think it’s very clear that a CV should never have any Comic Sans on it. I know it’s easy to fall into the trap of ‘trying to stand out’ or ‘trying to look a bit wacky’ (yuk!) – NO. Don’t do it. Ever. These thoughts come from the same instinct that urges us to turn our CVs into ‘Wanted’ posters (Ugh!) or print them out on luminous yellow paper. Believe me, deploy all or any of these strategies and you’ll be heading for the bin faster than you thought possible.

Sans a doubt.

……..

© Dazzling CVs Ltd. 2010

www.dazzlingcvs.co.uk

The Guardian CV Clinic – 23/01/2010

If you weren’t one of the 313,026* people who read The Guardian on Saturday, then you may have missed my recent handling of their CV Clinic. Anyway, here it is in all its glory. Enjoy! Click on it to see a bigger version – and sorry about the grainy scan. I was hoping The Guardian would put this on their website but apparently staff shortages means they won’t. Oh well, can’t win ‘em all.

 

*Average daily sale, ABC July 09 – December 09

The Top 10 Small CV Fixes that Everyone Should Do

I posted this in The Guardian a few days ago and got a lot of positive response about it - so I thought I'd put it up here too.

I could very easily fill an encyclopaedia-sized volume with the CV errors that arrive on my desk on a daily basis.

Here's a quick top 10 of small fixes that every CV writer should perform (how many did you forget to do?):

1. Don't begin your CV with 'Curriculum Vitae' in big letters at the top.
2. Keep it under 2 sides of A4.
3. Don't start shrinking your borders and margins in order to cram in more text.
4. You don't have to include your date of birth or references.
5. Make sure your font doesn't go below 10 point.
6. Only include major qualifications (nobody really cares about that B in 'O' Level Woodwork you got back in 1975).
7. Please, please, please run a spellcheck THEN get someone else to read it.
8. Funky fonts and migraine-inducing coloured paper - NO.
9. Don't pad out with useless information - be your harshest critic.
10. Tell the truth. It'll save everyone a lot of time in the long run (you included).

...also, when it comes to covering letters, it's written 'CV' or 'C.V.', never 'C.V' - and while we're on the point, plural of CV is CVs NOT CV's.

GOOD LUCK !!!

www.dazzlingcvs.co.uk

15 Ways to Improve Your CV (and avoid the things that employers hate)

Here's an article I recently wrote for the Coventry Telegraph:

15 Ways to Improve Your CV
(and avoid the things that employers hate)

By Steve Szita,
Director, Dazzling CVs Ltd.
www.dazzlingcvs.co.uk

You don’t need me to tell you how tough the current job market is; but a few words of advice from me regarding your CV could work wonders. I’ve written many CVs. I’ve seen some great ones and also seen plenty of appalling ones. Here are 15 easy ways to improve your CV – and avoid employers filing your application in the wastepaper basket.

1. Watch your word order
Including your own interests is always useful and helps to demonstrate that you’re a well-rounded individual. Just be careful how you list them. Word order can be crucial, as this unfortunate CV phrase shows: ‘...coaching the local under-11s boys’ swimming team, amateur photography...’. Oops.

2. Don’t rely too heavily on spell checkers
Spelling mistakes occur far too frequently. Don’t rely on the spell check or grammar check because they will let elementary mistakes slip through, such as using ‘sore’ instead of ‘saw’ or ‘hear’ instead of ‘here’ and so on. I once read a CV in which a candidate talked about his ‘extensive soft drink skills’. He meant ‘software skills’ but his mind had wandered during the writing and his spell check didn’t see anything wrong.

3. Check your punctuation carefully
Make sure you apply the best word order and the correct punctuation. Otherwise, you could end up writing something like this candidate: ‘Proactive – I’m always scribbling down work ideas whenever I can such as when I’m commuting on the back of an envelope.’

4. Be honest – but not too honest
It’s always a good idea to be open and honest on your CV. This doesn’t have to mean sacrificing your professionalism or objectivity, though. In one CV a candidate wrote: ‘My last boss was a bit of a plonker and was probably on the fiddle too’. This hardly inspires confidence.

5. Get your numbers right
Simple keystroke errors with numbers are also an easy mistake to make. Often these are missed because the writer is only concentrating on getting the words right. I’ve seen applicants claim that they ‘have 43 children’ and ‘left school in 1892’.

6. Pay attention
Ensure that any claims you make about your abilities aren’t undermined by silly slips or errors. My personal favourite is an applicant who wrote: ‘I developed a strong attention to detail while working as a Recetpionist’.

7. Speak English
In an ever-expanding global market, possessing international experience or other languages are both becoming more and more important. Just make sure you put this across in the right way. One applicant once declared: ‘I exposed myself to the French market for three years.’ Really? Do the Gendarmes know? Another declaimed: ‘I am bilingual – fluent in English, Spanish and French.’ Well, maybe not English.

8. Only speak if you have something to say
It’s amazing how many people pad out their CVs with worthless information. Among the many fascinating facts I’ve been told are: ‘I hold a driving licence (Provisional)’, ‘I am physically fit and often walk to work’ and ‘My interests include watching television’. If you haven’t got anything interesting to say or any extra skills to promote, then say nothing

9. Always be professional
Employers will always glean aspects of your personality from what you write on your CV. Again, as in number 4, you must remain professional at all times. Don’t write statements similar to these applicants: ‘I like trying to get off with the girls in my office’ or ‘I enjoy going out on Saturday nights and drinking loads (probably too much!)’. These are sure-fire ways to get your CV filed in the bin.

10. Avoid jargon, waffle and total nonsense
We’re all aware of the need to avoid jargon in our CVs and resist the use of too much technical speak. Unfortunately, many candidates can’t resist the temptation to add their own utter nonsense, gobbledygook and waffle. Here’s one of my all-time favourites: ‘I feel my past is defined by my future, whilst my future defines my past.’ Eh?

11. One size does not fit all
Your CV should not be a standard document that never changes but should be tweaked with each job application in mind. A colleague of mine once told me about the time he advertised for a Marketing Executive, Senior Marketing Executive and Marketing Manager. One person applied for all three posts – with identical CVs and Covering letters. Only the job titles were changed. Needless to say, he hit the waste-paper bin three times!

12. Avoid ‘zany’ fonts and coloured paper.
Your CV should be clear, professional and concise. I’ve seen CVs written in fonts that are, quite simply, unreadable and printed on migraine-inducing coloured paper. Often candidates choose them with the mistaken belief that they will show their individuality and make them stand out. Wrong. Stick to a clear and straightforward font – Arial, Times, Verdana, Garamond and Tahoma are all good starting points. Paper colour? Any as long as it’s white.

13. Two sides are enough
The basic rule is very simple: Write no more than two sides of A4, ideally in 10 or 12 point. Never let your point size go any smaller and don’t shrink your margins with the aim of cramming loads more in – you’ll just make the whole thing unreadable. Sadly, many people ignore this simple advice. My record? I was once presented with a CV that was SEVENTEEN sides long!

14. Avoid clichés
‘I’m a team player’, ‘I think outside the box’, ‘I’m a blue sky thinker’ etc. etc. etc. These are just a few of the phrases that will make you sound like a candidate for The Apprentice on a bad day. Don’t use them! Recruiters are so bored of seeing them! You’ll almost certainly end your chances of an interview because the interviewer will have flat lined.

15. Mind the Gap
You might be able to get away with a month or two gap on your CV. Maybe you took extended leave or just needed some time for yourself. I was once given a CV where there was a SIX YEAR gap in the person’s employment history. When I brought this up, they became evasive and I never got a straight answer. Needless to say they struggled to find a role. What had they been doing? Employers will immediately think the worst. If you do have gaps in your career history, they explain why. Honesty is always the best policy.

........
© Dazzling CVs Ltd. 2010
www.dazzlingcvs.co.uk

Your New CV – Do it BEFORE Christmas!

A bit of (early?) seasonal CV advice and good cheer from Dazzling CVs on how to get ahead in the job hunting field...


Yes, Christmas is coming (you know that because the shops are full of Easter Eggs, we’re endlessly bombarded with ads for Christmas as it never was (major retailers, you know who you are!) and you no longer hear that Christmas medley CD that’s been on a loop in all major stores since August.
At this time of year, it’s too easy just to focus on the festive season and push all your other concerns (like updating your CV and finding a new job) to the back of your mind. Usually the thought process goes something like this: “I’m going to have a great Christmas and a fantastic New Year, then I’ll join the ‘New Year, New Career’ rush and sort out my CV and my life in 2010″.
Well, there’s nothing strictly wrong with that approach – except virtually everyone else in the same boat as you will be thinking along exactly the same lines. That means, come January, they’ll all be chasing the same vacancies as you and will probably be way ahead of you in the queue here at Dazzling CVs. Think: if you’re having to wait in line to get your shiny new CV, how can you apply for that dream job you’ve spotted?

So, what to do?

Quite simply. ACT NOW! Get your CV sorted out NOW. Here at Dazzling CVs we’ll be experiencing the inevitable seasonal drop in demand, which means we can turn your CV around in less time. We’ll also have a little more time on our hands to craft your CV (and so probably make it that tiny bit better!).
Then once your CV is ready and you’re beaming with pride as you read it, you can act this side of Christmas. Get your applications in NOW. Even more importantly, send those speculative enquiries NOW (companies might be holding off advertising a vacancy until January and then your CV drops in their lap!). Believe me, the field will be quiet and the competition focused on other things. All these factors will combine to draw more attention to YOU – and ultimately raise your chances of success.
Then, when you’re satisfied you’ve done all you can, relax, sit back and have that Christmas and New Year you promised yourself.
Merry Christmas!
The Dazzling CVs Team
www.dazzlingcvs.co.uk