396 Frequently Asked Questions In Quantitative Finance
Ifyou’renotpreparedtospendat leastamonth
learningreversePolishnotation,useastandard
template.(Stickto twomainfontfamilies,a sanserif,
suchas Arial,forlargeheadings,and aserif font,such
asTimes,formainbodytext.)
PDF Make a PDF if possible. These have a more pro-
fessional feel than Word documents, they do not have
virus problems (yet) and they retain original fonts and
layout. Whatever software you use, print it out to make
sure that what you see is really what you get. Perhaps
view on and print from another PC to double check.
Name Give your document a name that will be meaning-
ful to the recruiter. Call it YourNameHere.pdf and not
CV.pdf in the spirit of making it easier for the recruiter.
It’s not nice to have a large number of files with the
same name, and it’s actually quite easy to get your CV
written over by the CV someone else who also called
it CV.
Dates Make sure your dates ‘‘join up’’ as much as
possible. Some people in the recruitment process worry
about gaps.
Be honest If you claim skills in some area, it’s a good
bet that you will be asked questions about it. The CV
should be a fair and positive statement of what you
have to offer. No one expects you to share your history
of skin diseases, but you’re going to be expected to
back the talk with action.
Show that you can do things By this point in your life you’ve
soaked up a lot of information, and acquired skills,
which is, of course, good. But a big question in the
inquisitor’s mind is whether you can translate this into
