A document that looks careless gets read as careless work, even when the content is good. Four habits fix ninety percent of it, and none of them are about design talent.
One font, two sizes. A normal size for the text and a bigger one for headings. Mixing fonts is the fastest way to look amateur.
Use real headings, the Heading 1 and Heading 2 styles, rather than just making text big and bold. It takes the same time and it lets the document build its own contents page later.
Space, not empty lines. Do not press Enter six times to move something down a page. Use a page break, otherwise everything shifts the moment you add a sentence.
Save as PDF to send. Same reason as your CV: it looks the same on their machine as on yours.
You need the next section to start on a new page.
What happens: As soon as anyone adds a sentence above, everything slides and the document falls apart. This is the most common cause of a document that looks broken by the time it reaches a manager.
What happens: The section stays at the top of its page no matter what changes above it. Ctrl and Enter does it instantly.
Word or Google Docs?
Whichever your employer uses. Google Docs is free, works in a browser and saves automatically, which makes it better for practice and for shared computers. Word is more common in established offices. The skills in this course transfer between them almost entirely.
My document looks fine to me but broke when I sent it
Usually a font the other person does not have, or spacing made with Enter rather than real formatting. Sending a PDF solves both, and it is why every document going outside your team should be sent as a PDF.
Before you move on
- Use one font and two sizes
- Use real Heading styles, not big bold text
- Use a page break instead of pressing Enter
Check what you know
3 questions. Have a look at what this lesson asks.
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