Advice on Staying Focused

Your CV is not your autobiography. It is not even a detailed career history. It is your personal marketing document - an advertisement for yourself. You are creating it to persuade the employer that you have what their organisation needs and that they should take the time to meet you and find out more. For this reason, your CV should concentrate on the reasons why the employer would want to take you on. These are your key selling points.

A successful CV shows your skills, knowledge and experience in the best possible light. Find the most effective way of getting your message across.

Once you have worked out your key selling points, you know what you want to say to the recruiter. However, in order to sell yourself effectively you need to plan how you are going to present this information.

Your CV is an advertisement for yourself. Advertisers make sure that they catch the eye of the reader and they make absolutely sure that the reader understands the benefits of buying the product. Taking the same approach with your CV will maximise the impact that it has on the reader.

• Make sure that your CV is short and to the point, so that you get your message across.

• Make a powerful first impression by giving your CV a strong start.

• Describe your experience in a way that will make a strong positing impact on the reader.

• Create a CV that is both positive and honest.

• Choose the most appropriate format for your CV.

• Use a time-based CV if you want to emphasise steady progression in your career.

• Use a skills-based CV to focus the recruiter's attention on your skills and experience.

• Where appropriate, use summaries to prevent your CV becoming cluttered with irrelevant detail.