Keep it simple. No bells and whistles. Watch your spelling, grammar and punctuation.

Is your prospective employer typographically aware?

hhp

Yes, the target is aways the 1st question.

Hrant: If I am going for a work placement at a graphic design studio, then hopefully they will be aware of typography so the answer is yes I suppose.

You hadn't said what type of place you're applying to. Like if you were applying for a position in a graphic design department in a large non-graphic company, the person judging your resume would not be graphically aware.

Anyway, in this case I think you have a little bit of room for impressing, but not much, and you have to tread pretty carefully: too little is better than too much (assuming you have a good chance at getting the job based solely on the content of the resume). In terms of the font, I would choose something very under-used but understated and highly readable. Not Times, but not Mrs Eaves either.

hhp

'zactly.

In many ways it will not be the font choice so much as the excellent use of that font that will matter. But if it's a graphic design firm it's gonna be your portfolio and the interview/s that actually swing it ( or not ).

It's that most often getting an interview is the resume's job so to speak!

hhp

It is the Giggles that count?!

Having created a typographic cv you should prepare yourself to answer questions about your choices and decisions. On top of the basics that Conor mentioned be sure to keep consistency throughout, for example the spacing between heads and copy.

Tim

Portfolios are for impressing. Resumes are for communicating. Not that your resume can't be impressive, but be sure to focus first and formost on communicating. That, alone, will make it impressive.

You see, the advice I get and wht my tutor says is quite different. He says something interactive would impress and I once asked about my cubed CV idea on here and most people said it's more impressive to have a well typed CV than something interactive. So would you employers out there still agree on that or not?

Who is your tutor? How old is she/he? What's the tutor's employment history? What kind of job are you after? Interactive design? Graphic design? As I said : what the TARGET?

for my first CV my Dad (a teacher) said just do a normal CV in word – I ignored that advice and did a rip-off of the London underground map as I was looking for work experience with an information design company. My work experience lasted about 7 years and was the job from heaven. And why did they look at my CV? because it was two things: different and relevant. It's a comment I hear over and over from Creative Directors I chat to that they are looking for an indication that someone has a passion for what they do. Their time is limited so at least give them a reason to look at what you send!

As long as the relevant info is clearly readable, well written and to the point.

"it’s more impressive to have a well typed CV than something interactive."

'something interactive' is fine, but don't make that your resume. The resume is a practical piece of design. It has a specific function. Good design has to be applicable design.

Now, a truly different CV (like f&c mentions) CAN work wonders. The catch is that you REALLY have to pull it off well. And that's hard. There's a spectrum:

A-----------------------------------------------------Z

A = practical, well layed out, one page, type-only resume.

Z = some crazy intelligent avante garde interactive CV.

A & Z are both great. Anything in between, though, can fail miserably. ;o)

Be sure your CV has content that is worthy of the sizzle. As a perspective employer, I would be leary of smoke and mirrors. I also would not want to have to launch something on my computer when I am just looking through a folder for a piece of paper.

ChrisL

I'm making a huge assumption here that the CV in question is for undergraduate placement, or a first placement after graduation (rather than as a mature student).

If this is so, Chris's point regarding content is particularly important. Good employers will spot good candidates and will be bombarded with these things in the next few weeks/months and will look for any reason to cut the pile down to size. In the end it's what you say that's important, not how you say it.

If nothing else, put it up for crit on this site – it's a rewarding experience :os

hmmmm...OK. I need to decide exactly what I should do but it IS OK to do both is it? Or not? Would that be annoying for some employers? It must be, I can imagine :O

Get A done right. Absolutely right. Then you can think about Z.

I wouldn't run the risk of annoying employers. Once they have your CV in basic form, then you can send out "gifts" at the holidays, maybe do a christmas card in the cube form you mentioned earlier or something - or an ornament. But keep the CV straightforward.

Keep in mind that your CV will be seen by others in addition to the Creative Director or other persons in the creative department. This thing has to look good to folks in the HR department also. The CD's recommendation will carry the most weight, but you don't want to baffle others who have to look at it. They just want that solid information, well presented, that most everybody here seems to emphasize.

Even some small studios have some sort of HR person. And if you work for a large bureaucracy, as I do . . . . well.

powers*

* a minor bureaucrat in a minor bureaucracy