Make Your CV More Skimmable by Leveraging Margins, Spacing and Fonts Effectively

A well-written CV can still fall flat if it isn’t easy to read. According to an eye-tracking study by The Ladders, recruiters spend an average of just 7.4 seconds initially scanning a CV before deciding whether it makes the shortlist.

That means your formatting matters as much as your content. If your CV looks cluttered, cramped, or inconsistent, recruiters may never even reach your strongest achievements.

The goal is to maximise your CV’s skim value — making it easy for recruiters to quickly spot key information, such as job titles, career progression, and achievements.

Here are three formatting elements that dramatically improve readability:

• Margins

• Spacing

• Fonts

By balancing these effectively, you’ll create a CV that’s professional, recruiter-friendly, and ATS-compatible.

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1. Margins: Give Your CV Breathing Room

If your CV feels too crowded or spills unnecessarily onto a second page, adjusting your margins can make a big difference.

Best practice for CV margins:

• Keep margins between 0.5" and 1" on all sides.

• Anything smaller risks printing errors and looks cramped.

• Anything larger wastes space and leaves the page looking empty.

⚡ Pro Tip: Recruiters often print CVs to review. A cramped page with minimal margins is much harder to read on paper than on a screen.

2. Spacing: Consistency Signals Professionalism

Spacing is one of the most overlooked aspects of CV formatting — but inconsistent spacing is one of the first things recruiters notice.

Why spacing matters:

• Inconsistent gaps between sections look sloppy.

• Too little spacing makes your CV look like a wall of text.

• Balanced spacing gives your content room to breathe, making achievements easier to absorb.

How to improve spacing in your CV:

• Keep spacing consistent between sections (e.g. always one line before each job entry).

• Use white space to guide the reader’s eye naturally down the page.

• Avoid cramming too much onto a single page; if necessary, cut weaker content rather than squeezing it in.

⚡ Pro Tip: Print your CV and glance at it from arm’s length. Do the sections look balanced? If the page feels “claustrophobic,” your spacing needs work.

3. Fonts: Readability Over Style

Your font choice subtly communicates professionalism. Recruiters consistently say that fonts which are too small, inconsistent, or overly “creative” can undermine credibility.

Font size:

• Stick to 10–12pt. Anything smaller strains the eye; anything larger wastes space.

• Use the same size for body text; only headings should be larger.

Font type:

• Serif fonts (e.g. Cambria, Georgia, Garamond, Times New Roman) are highly readable and traditional.

• Sans-serif fonts (e.g. Arial, Calibri, Helvetica) are clean and modern. Both are acceptable, but choose one style and use it consistently.

• Avoid novelty fonts, coloured text, or mixing multiple styles.

⚡ Pro Tip: Recruiters read dozens of CVs in a sitting. The easier yours is to read, the longer they’ll spend on it.

In Summary

Formatting is not about being “creative” or “standing out visually.” It’s about ensuring recruiters can quickly see why you’re qualified.

By optimising margins, spacing, and fonts, you’ll make your CV:

• Easier to skim (so recruiters grasp your key achievements fast)

• Cleaner and more professional (so it reflects your attention to detail)

• More ATS-friendly (so applicant tracking systems can read it without errors)

Remember: formatting enhances content, but impact comes from achievement-based bullet points tailored to your target roles. If your CV still feels cluttered after formatting tweaks, it’s time to condense your content and focus only on the information that proves your value.

To find out more, visit our website www.cvpilots.co.uk If you have any further questions, you can either book a consultation call with one of our team, or get in touch via email on team@cvpilots.co.uk