(no subject) [Matthew's Journal]

[X] Candidate is to be commended on their good taste in not using Word.

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That was my thought!

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I fear I have to term in my geek cred for not knowing what 'Computer Modern' is?

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Modern

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Ah. Recognise the font, not the name - I guess I should have figured that really.

Can't say it's too eye-bleeding.

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Just be thankful it wasn't Comic Sans.

I usually go for either Garamond or Arial.

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Or some symbol font, or other more convoluted font, "Congratulations! If you have decoded this, you have won the opportunity to hire JOE BLOGS. Contact ###-##-#### to arrange an interview..." :)

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Ariel is a bad choice. Sans Serif fonts are harder to read in print media.

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It depends. Some dyslexics find them easier.

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We're weird like that.

That does kind of figure though.

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I've seen it alleged that sans serif fonts are better for short pieces of text and serif fonts for longer ones.

And so my résumé, which IIRC has no one piece of prose longer than a line or so, is in Computer Modern Sans Serif. (And hasn't been updated since 2003, but that's beside the point.)

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Sans Serif is better for shorter, as in less than about 10 words, according to the studies I've seen. Oddly it's also better on computer screens.

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I think I may need to post an alternative version of this poll involving CVs in MS Comic Sans…

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A TeX-formatted CV in MS Comic Sans would be especially perverse...

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It would indeed, though I have in fact typeset a document in MS Comic Sans using TeX before now (long and complicated reasons involving matching the pages supplied by other contributors — fortunately it's done in Gill Sans these days).

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Also:

[X] My CV is in Computer Modern.

(Mind you, it hasn't been seriously touched in over ten years, though it did get one dusting-off in 2005.)

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I am relieved to know that there are other fonts available in TeX than Computer Modern! My heart sinks every time I see a page...

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[X] Candidate is deliberately making a point.

Personally I can't stand Computer Modern, but using any other font is useless because it wouldn't be proof that you had used Free Software.

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Yes. I have hazy memories of writing a MS Word covering letter in Computer Modern once in the hope they'd think I was a competent geek.

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When I use Word, I avoid using Times New Roman, cos it just looks *too* Word-y.

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I find this very amusing :)

(editted for appropriate icon)

Edited Date: 2008-10-29 01:50 pm (UTC)

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[x] If the candidate can spell and use grammar and capital letters correctly, I really don't give a toss about the font.

One of my potential apprentices sent me her CV yesterday. She got a B in GCSE English, which is allegedly equivalent to the B I got at O level 28 years ago.

Would you employ somebody who's CV includes the following?

"I done a week work experience at this nursery, as I wanted to test wether or not I enjoyed this type of future. during this week I had to involve myself through out each age group."

and

"Working temporary over the christmas holidays, i was responsible for serving customers, keeping the shop and store areas clean. i found this built on my commuication skills as River Island is a very busy store."

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Arrrggh. What do they teach them at those schools?

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I remember Bill Walsh saying, "if you're interviewing someone to be chief copy editor, and they used a hyphen instead of an m-dash..." There are cases where you can justify being even stricter. Ditto "arrrgh".

(I'm slightly torn, in that OT1H whether or not correct grammar is necessary for the job, it shows someone went to a certain amount of effort to take it seriously, and not doing so isn't a good sign. OTOH, I admit I'm prejudiced towards pedantry and good grammar and probably naturally place more weight on them, even in cases where it wouldn't actually matter. OTGH, how to be fair between someone who was just lazy, and someone who is equally competent but unfortunate to have experiences and schooling that didn't teach them the "right" way.

Of course, that example I think is confused more than by the grammar; even if it was punctuated it wouldn't sound that convincing. Also, I've still issues with how I was taught grammar[1] -- it involved a lot of prescribing without any explaining, at least by the point I started listening. But I'm fairly sure it took marks off for minor spelling mistakes, let alone not capitalising 'I'. OT3H, I'm probably slightly hypocritical, in that I think minor mistakes of the sort I make aren't important...)

[1] Is trying to make things sound obvious good? Potentially. But is it helpful if they're not obvious?

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I too get confused. But somehow I think it's a little remiss to send a student out into the world with the attitude that spelling, punctuation and grammar 'don't really matter cuz I can uze a computer, dude'. (Or similar.) And as soon as they're in a position where they have to write to 'customers' or a managing director, they're in a position to make themselves, the company or both, look extremely silly. (*contemplates commas in the last sentence*) I'm not the best speller in the world, but while I'll happily let typos and other idiocies past when emailing friends, when I post publically or semi-publically, or send a document to someone, I try to make sure that it's literate. Because otherwise I might a) make people think I'm stupid and b) fail to get my point across through sloppy communication.

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Yes, someone's definitely remiss.

(Come to think of it, what would I do if I refused to obey a social convention on principle? If I insisted on having spiky blue hair, even though I know some people would see it as unprofessional, then I think you just do it. But if I insisted on splitting prepositions, I think I would have to either (a) avoid the issue in a CV or (b) put a footnote. Maybe.)

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Well, there are some things one 'just does'. While I try not to split infinitives in formal writing, I am quite happy to end sentences with prepositions and start sentences with conjunctions. However, with the blue hair thing, and with the 'i don't use capital letters' thing, I'd expect someone to point out that some people might consider it unprofessional, and for me to take my chances *based on that information*. And that if I were applying for a job that involved lots of writing, the Not Using Capital Letters issue might be rather more important than the I Have Blue Hair issue. If I'm a receptionist for a stuffy company, then perhaps it's the other way round.

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And that if I were applying for a job that involved lots of writing, the Not Using Capital Letters issue might be rather more important than the I Have Blue Hair issue.

This young person wants to be an administrative apprentice. The blue hair may or may not be a turn off to potential employers, but they mostly tend to want the people sending out letters to external contacts to be able to spell and write in a way that conforms to at least some level of acceptability. The B in English exempts her from doing key skills, where she would be expected to proof read and correct her work.

I've sent her CV out unaltered. If employers want to interview her, that's their decision.

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Yeah, neither is probably ever a good strategy, there are so many reasons to look for CVs that are done the professional way without hedging. But if you were going to do flaunt your nonconformity anyway, it may be better to at least some employers to be contrary than to be lazy and contrary...

The CV from hooloovoo may have good parts elsewhere, but I was completely turned off by the bit quoted. If she'd said she refused to use capital letters unless necessary it'd be a big red flag, but at least it would be some evidence of thought, which is more than there was now...

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If I were an employer, I would file the CV in the circular file...

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Would you employ somebody who's CV includes the following?

*Cough.* (I know it's standard practice to include a mistake whenever complaining about someone else's spelling or grammar, but still.)

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Admittedly, these days I do not need any fonts at all to go "Aaargh, my eyes".

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I quite like CM. It'd be a bad sign for my current job, as we're strictly a Windows-based shop and hardcore Un*x types usually crack under the imperfect strain, the poor dears.

Some of the best candidates we've had used plain text CVs!

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[x] Candidate is demonstrating that they have real-TeX-fu and/or that they do know how to configure fonts in LaTeX.

(Or are LaTeX styles that use cmr by default still in widespread use?)

Whether this is a good thing or not would depend enormously on the position applied for…

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Where I used to work, on the rare occasion that a CV came in that looked like it had been produced in TeX, that immediately put them on the top of the pile.

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