Using Logos and Images on CVs
Recently we have seen a spate of CVs containing logos and images for employers worked for in the past.
Fresh, Bright CVs
The CVs look very fresh and bright, and the logos really make them stand out.
Surely a win-win situation for everyone? You get your CV to stand out, the prospective employer gets to see a fresh CV and be impressed by the colour and the recruiter is happy at having something different to send over to the client.
No.
Logos are an absolute nightmare for us as recruiters.
Logos Cause Problems
Firstly, they increase the file size of your CV from about 50kb to about 1-2MB. This is not necessarily a problem in the age of superfast broadband, but it is a problem when trying to process the file on internal software.
Secondly the layout of your CV goes haywire when you send it onto another machine. So many times candidates forget to actually save the images onto the CV and they are pasted on as weblinks. This means that anyone who wants to view them actually has to be connected to the internet.
Thirdly the logos do not really add anything to your application, other than the fact that you spent a year shovelling chips into a fryer in McDonalds. Whether or not you include the McDonalds logo you still spent a year shovelling chips into a fryer. Obviously if you were the Chief Executive of McDonalds this may be slightly more relevant experience..
In fact logos can put a lot of emphasis on non-relevant work, particularly if the logo for some second rate work you have done is larger and more bold than the first rate work that you want an employer to consider in order to put you up the pecking order for selection.
Finally some of the logos used by employers are rubbish. They look like something a GCSE student has churned out for their media studies assignment (I know – ours isn’t much better!).
Avoid Playing The Logo Game
You want the prospective employer to be reading your CV and highlighting the experience that gets you noticed and employed. You don’t want them playing the Logo Game with your content.
Keep graphics to a minimum and ensure there is plenty of content. A CV is about imparting information efficiently to the reader and getting yourself noticed.
Including images and logos detracts from this. We do not recommend it as an option.
Jonathan Fagan is Managing Director of Ten Percent (TP) Legal Recruitment and a non-practising Solicitor. You can contact him at cv@ten-percent.co.uk
