From what I know, it's best to be conservative when it comes to fonts and layouts.

Generally times new roman and arial for fonts (could be other equivalents), sizes 10-12. Not sure about margins, though I certainly don't see anything wrong with using narrow margins.


if its a recommendation letter that you think would contribute to your application (for example from a previous employer/senior colleague or lecturer) then I think you should attach it with your resume.

Generally, no. But depending on the application, you might want to use a brief presentation in the email body and attach your cover letter (with all addresses and formalities) and resume as separate documents.

The cover letter is basically a brief presentation of yourself, and it gives you a chance to present yourself and to explain why you are applying for a particular position. You generally add information that is not available in your resume, or give additional details about the points you included in your resume.

I think there's nothing wrong in just handing in your resume without a cover letter at a job fair.

However, adding a personalised cover letter for that particular company together with your resume would show that you took the time to find out about the company and prepare a cover a letter. This of course would require time and effort from you, and its not really realistic to do that for every company you will be interested in at a job fair.

So I'd say hand in your resume and personalised cover letter for the companies you are really interested in and just drop in a resume for the rest.

Listing your previous HR people might be a last option, but usually they won't be able to give detailed information about your work performance (unless you have worked closely with them), especially in a large company. It's best to list your former managers, since a good reference can really go a long way to help you get the job.

I think that you should notify the people you are listing as references beforehand. Just call them up or email them to explain briefly your work experience at the company and the duration (they won't necessarily remember everyone), especially if you haven't kept in touch with them after leaving.

I've never heard of/seen one before.
Personally I think that it might be OK if you are in the creative industries, otherwise I would prefer to avoid it and just stick to the conventional portrait format.
But why do you want to try it in the first place ? Is it because you want to fit in more information with this layout or is it simply because you want to differentiate yourself ?

This post has been edited by langstrasse: Jul 13 2011, 11:50 AM

Why would you not want to include that information ?

Maybe you don't want that "Why did you leave your last job ? " question, but if you don't put that in your resume you'll be faced with another question : "What have you been doing since your graduation ?" which isn't going to be easy either if it's been 5 months since you graduated (assuming you started work right after graduation).

If I were in your place I'll just include the current job in the resume and just prepare a good explanation for future interviews.

If you already have a few years' worth of experience, there's really little need to be so detailed on your degree course structure etc. Just state uni, course, specialization (if any), duration and CGPA (if you think it's going to help). But just be prepared to give further detailed info on your course structure. Maybe you can prepare a separate document and bring it along during interviews, just in case.

By the time you finish your course (I'm assuming in 2-4 years' time) you wouldn't need to state that you did A levels. You can just state your university course and leave the A levels part out. But in the meantime, if you need a resume (for internships for example) you may have to include it because otherwise you'll have a gap in your 'timeline'. Anyway, not all interviewers are that meticulous in examining what you have done since high school but as a rule of thumb, the more challenging/sought after a position is, the more detailed the questions.

My advice is to make sure that your results in your current course is excellent and you won't ever have to worry about your A-levels results.