Contractors' Questions: Should my CV include our company logo?

Contractor’s Question: Is our company’s logo the same as hyperlinks in a CV, in that it should be omitted and not included? I quite like it but my co-director says it’s distracting.

Expert’s Answer: Personally I like graphically-rich and aesthetically-pleasing CVs, so I don’t mind seeing logos, such as a unique design owned by your PSC. But all the research tells us that recruiters, HR officers and hiring managers are not keen. As with all situations like this, I defer to the research rather than my opinion and would therefore suggest not having any logos on a CV.

There is also the issue that graphics and too much formatting can go a bit ‘wobbly’ when CVs are run through applicant tracking systems or any kind of recruitment software. And of course, logos can take up storage space that might cause a problem on some online portals.

But don’t bin a logo you’ve worked up for winning work! LinkedIn will be viewed by at least 85% of the people who shortlist you for a contract, so this is the best place where your company’s design will work well; so well in fact that a space for a logo is there by default if the company has its own LinkedIn page.

The expert was Matt Craven, founder of The CV & Interview Advisors.

ContractorUK has partnered with the UK's leading authority on contractor CVs to provide a FREE review of your CV and LinkedIn profile. Contact The CV & Interview Advisors and one of their team will get back to you to discuss if your CV and LinkedIn profile matches up with industry best practice.