Create a visually pleasing CV/Resume in 5 steps

Arrange visual details thoughtfully to provide reviewers with a better reading experience. 中文版點這裡：）

Focus on visual detail to enhance the reading experience for CV/resume reviewers. They typically spend only 30 seconds scanning a CV and 2–3 minutes deciding if the candidate should move forward. Creating an easy-to-read and visually appealing CV will significantly improve your chances of getting interviews.

In this article, we’ll explore 5 key steps to enhance your CV’s readability, focusing on effective ‘White Space’ and a strong ‘Hierarchy of Information’. Let’s dive in!

Step 1 — White space

Give your CV space to breathe.

1. Margin and padding

When arranging whitespace, focus on three key areas: ‘Margin between content and the outer border,’ ‘Spacing between sections,’ and ‘Spacing between items within a section.’

For a cleaner appearance, maintain consistent spacing across these areas. Use larger margins for clearer separation while balancing to ensure ample content space. The settings I recommend are:

• a. Margin between content and outer border: 32–64px.
• b. Spacing between sections: 24–44px.
• c. Spacing between items within a section: 16–32px.

2. Line height

For optimal readability, set the line height to 1.2–1.5 times the font size. For example, with a 12px font size, a line height of 14–18px is ideal.

Step 2 — Hierarchy of Information

Create a clear information hierarchy to ensure that the most important details stand out at first glance for CV reviewers.

1. Font size

For your CV, I recommend to use 3–5 distinct font sizes to establish hierarchy, including:

• a. Largest: For your name, 36–60px.
• b. Second largest: For section titles (e.g., ‘Job Title’), 16–22px.
• c. Third largest: For section subtitles (e.g., ‘Company’, ‘Timeline’), 14–18px.
• d. Fourth largest: For body text, 12–16px.
• e. Smallest: Optional for annotations, 10–12px.

2. The timing for using Bold, Underline, and Italic font styles

Regardless of whether you use bold text, underlining, italics, or colored backgrounds to highlight, the goal is to make certain information stand out more. However, keep one thing in mind: if too much is highlighted, the reviewer won’t be able to identify the key points at a glance, which defeats the purpose of highlighting.

I recommend that you limit the highlighted sections of your CV to 1–3 parts. If a reviewer can quickly glance through your CV and remember 1–3 key characteristics about you, that’s great!

Step3 — Other visual tips

Let’s do some final tweaks to polish your CV.

1. Alignment

Alignment is really important as it makes the overall layout more organized and structured, enhancing readability. So, wherever possible, align your elements on the page!

2. Colour

Adding an extra color will make a section stand out, but if the color lacks contrast with the background, it can be hard to read (e.g., very light yellow text). To give your CV a unique style, use colored backgrounds and limit accent colors to 1–2, using them sparingly.

3. Font family

There are many commonly recommended fonts for CVs, such as Arial, Helvetica, and Times New Roman. The key consideration for choosing a font is: “Can this font allow the reviewer to comfortably read through a large amount of text?” If it’s easy and effortless to read through long passages, then it should be safe to use.

If you find common fonts boring but still want to maintain a comfortable reading experience, pay attention to book designs as they prioritize a comfortable reading experience for large amounts of text. If you come across a particularly comfortable font, you can add it to your list and try using it in your next CV design.

Step4 — Hashtags

Highlight your strengths at the top of your CV.

Our CV template (CV Icream) features a section where your traits are highlighted using hashtags. This helps reviewers easily remember three key characteristics. Users have reported that interviewers often ask about these highlighted traits. Give it a try!

Step5 — You’re all done : )

Congratulations! With effective use of white space, visual hierarchy, and readability principles, you’re now well-equipped to create a standout CV : )

These recommendations are based on my experience, but you can adapt them to craft your unique CV/resume.

For an easy and professional layout, consider trying our product — CV Icream. It handles the design, so you can focus solely on your content.

Hope these tips help you create a visually enjoyable CV. Wishing everyone an enjoyable CV-making journey : )