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Five reasons why white space in your planning CV is ok

Written by: Neville Rose
Published on: 21 Dec 2015

Neville Rose, Director of CV Writers, explores why white space is an essential part of a good CV.

CV writing advice for planners

If you are involved in any recruitment process you know how quickly CVs are read and decisions are made. When you come to write your own CV you must make it engaging and professional. The use of white space is a key part of this. White space frees up your CV from being overcrowded and jumbled. It allows the reader to quickly identify that you are a concise and organised professional - just the right qualities employers look for in planning professionals.

Creating balance

White space will harmonise any CV. Like a counterpoint to the written word, it creates a sense of balance that adds to the presentation of your CV. You want to make the reader feel relaxed and unhurried when they open your CV. This way the reader is far more likely to engage with your career story.

Making headings really stand out

What makes a heading really get noticed? No, it’s not making it as big as possible. Or bolding it. The amount of white space surrounding a headline is a major factor in getting it noticed fast.  White space draws the reader in and really emphasises the text itself.

Finding what you need

Another great reason for including white space is to allow the reader to move around your CV with greater ease. Recruiters look for different things in a CV and you should try to make it as easy as possible for the reader to find what they are looking for. It is all about allowing the recruiter to navigate their way around your CV quickly and with minimal effort.

2 pages, 700 – 800 words

In a 2 page CV the ideal number of words is usually between 700 and 800.  This should give you more than enough space to say what needs to be said without overloading the reader; be concise and talk about important achievements and milestones.

Choosing the right font

Try to use a modern font like Calibri or Arial and don’t decrease the font size just to cram more words in; you’ll lose all of that precious white space we’ve been talking about.  Old fashioned serif fonts like Times New Roman should also be avoided.

In conclusion, white space adds balance to your CV and makes it a far easier read for any recruiter.  It allows you to showcase your achievements and draws the reader to the most important elements of your CV.

CV Writers are the official CV writing partner to the Planner Jobs. CV Writers also publish Perfect CV, a toolkit that includes a professional CV template, how to write a CV videos and a CV checking service.