“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” - Leonardo da Vinci

On Monday morning I clicked my inbox to be faced with 87 emails, the majority of which were from individuals seeking work.

One email had two attachments including a lengthy cover letter and an eight page CV that included an “executive summary” that was almost a page of A4.  It took me some time to work out where this individual worked and which industry he was in. The CV included this person’s marital status, religion, children’s names and details of achievements at high school, over 20 years previously.

If you would like your job application to be successful, please keep it simple:

• Keep your CV to no more than two sides of A4
• Use correct spelling, grammar and plain language
• Your cover letter should be clear, brief and in the body of the email
• Summarise your experience and achievements in bullet point format
• AUA – Avoid Using Acronyms. These can betray ignorance not sophistication
• Please exclude irrelevant information including details of employment from many years back.

If you wish to be sophisticated – keep it simple. Remember the Da Vinci quote.

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Our colleague Aishwarya Krushnakumaar from the Singapore office discusses the pros and cons of adding a photo on a resume.

Check out the blog and join the discussion!

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