h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I was made redundant last year & ended up sending out a lot of my CV's by e-mail. Since most H2G2 are computer-y people, some of this may be obvious but I think it's worth re-stating. Here are a few tips I've picked up:

If you're CV is in Word (& you're saying that you know how to use it) then check what it looks like using the 'Show/Hide' button (the one that looks like a backwards P). This is the first thing a sensible employer will be doing. Do not use hundreds of tabs - set up a single one in the place where you need it or better yet, use tables or columns. DO NOT simply use the space bar!

If you are using Outlook to send your mails with a Word CV attachment, then send the mail as ‘plain text’. This is because if you send a mail in rich text from Outlook 2000 (& I believe newer versions) to a lower version of Office, then the attachment will not show up on their mail. This means you will look an idiot - having said ‘please see attached my CV’ and it won’t be there. Microsoft appear to have updated the way that attachments are attached to rich text mails (in 2000 & above) in a way that is not compatible with older versions of Outlook – though trying to explain this to agencies / potential employers is more trouble than it’s worth. Use a plain text covering e-mail and you should be fine.

Include a list of all the computer programs you can use – a number of my friends from my last job (who hadn’t looked for work in years) assumed that everyone had to have those computer skills now & so hadn’t bothered to mention them.

I have also found that putting a reminder in ‘Outlook’ to review my CV every six months, whether I’m looking for work or not, saves me time & a lot of hard thinking in the long run. Update it with any new qualifications, things you’ve done & the dates will still be (vaguely) fresh in your mind. You’ll be surprised at how much has changed in that time. Then should you need the CV, it’ll take a lot less time to get up to date & polished.

Grace, Hi!

Sounds like great advice for Outlook users. I especially like the tickler every 6 months that reminds you to update. Good Stuff!