The CV, still sometimes called a Curriculum Vitae is the first, and at most times is considered to be the most important part of applying for a job. It is the main document that tells the prospective employer what they will get if they decide to hire you.

Since potential employers have to whittle down practically hundreds of applications for every job advertised, to a few relevant ones, they will have to base their narrowing down efforts using the information (or lack of it) in the CV samples they have collected.

Many studies have shown that about half of the employers make their decision to accept or reject job applications based on the related work experience listed in the CV. A third of the employers decide to reject or accept these job applications based on the CV layout and design of these applications.

What that means for the employment candidate is that the Curriculum Vitae must be both strong on content and appearance.

When preparing your CV, make sure your CV stands out among the rest. It should be the type that is appealing to the eyes, making the evaluating personnel want to read the CV. The best way to achieve that is to make sure the page is well spaced so that it is easy to read. The second part is for you to make sure your CV describes the relevant work experience you have had in relation to the job you are applying for.

Make Your CV Concise and Relevant

Avoid making your CV too long and that means no more than two to three pages. Including too much information may make it irrelevant to the evaluator who may also be the hiring manager and you don't want to waste their time. Remember that the employer is a person to whom time is important. If your CV shows that you value his/her time while showing the most relevant information in the least amount of time, you will have won one important battle.

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You may have had previous experience that is not related to the job you are applying for, so don't complicate things by including irrelevant detail. For completeness you may need to include some of it but make sure you emphasise the important stuff that relates directly to the job requirements.

Some people keep many different versions of their CV for different purposes. Make sure your CV is appropriate for the job you are applying for.

The biggest mistake is to submit a one-size-fits-all CV since the employer will form the impression that your previous efforts have not been focused enough to produce any specialization on your part.

Write About Your Achievements

You must add your achievements, but make your statements factual and relevant to the job in question. Achievements become tangible in the reader's mind and add weight to your application. It does not do harm to advertise yourself, but make your advertisement matter-of-fact and something that you can substantiate when asked - as you most certainly will be. Do not list what you consider to be your weak points as the CV is not the avenue for such discussions.

Polish Your CV

Your employer will know if you have put enough time into producing your CV. If he/she sees that you have put sufficient and thorough effort into your CV, he/she will assume that you will do the same in your work. This is a big plus for you. It is not uncommon for some people to spend hours polishing and buffing their CV, but the time spent ensuring that your CV matches the employer's requirements will be worth it.

Everything Must Be Focused

You can really focus your CV by concentrating on what the prospective employer needs, not what you want. Go over to Careers Central for more help with your CV or Resume writing.

You will soon discover that CV and resume writing is partially science and partially art, so if you're going to produce a really powerful, interview winning CV you may need to change your writing style in order to produce the most compelling document that demands a reaction from the reader.

Let's get this straight...

The document that you produce now, is not supposed to be a document of record where you include everything you’ve ever done.

Try to think about writing your CV or resume writing in the same way that a copywriter produces a glossy brochure for new cars or exotic holidays; the intention is to produce desire and action!!

YOUR ONLY AIM IN CV WRITING IS TO GIVE THE READERS THE INFORMATION THEY WANT IN A WAY THAT MAKES THEM WANT TO ACT ON WHAT THEY SEE.

This is what's known as AIDA

• You must get the reader's Attention
• It must create some Interest
• Then stimulate the Desire to interview you and
• Take Action to secure the best new employee in the market...YOU!

Now let's take a closer look at what makes for compelling CV and Resume writing.

I'm sure you've heard it all before and you most probably think your current CV or resume is pretty good anyway. It has always done the job in the past and you have managed to get some interviews.

You know that job selection is initially down to how you sell yourself on paper. But did you ever consider that if your writing skills are even slightly out of date, you might be setting yourself a massive barrier?

Have you got the communication right for the level of job you are going for? Have you recently re-written your CV or just re-vamped it? Did you get someone else to appraise it for you? Have you equipped yourself with the winning CV writing approach?

Remember your CV can all too easily work against you if it’s not just right and the demands of savvy recruiters change all the while. Go to Careers Central for the latest updates.

This might not seem like much to worry about, but you should realize that most personnel managers or recruiters get hundreds of applications for every single job, so it's clear that a good CV, written the way they want and containing exactly what they expect to see, can make the crucial difference.

There is a lot to think about, but if you follow these straightforward steps you'll find that you can take all the guesswork out of CV and resume writing.

So, do you want to dramatically improve your CV to help you obtain those all-important job interviews? Click here!

In this example of a Sales CV, note that the name, address and contact details are all very clear at the head of the CV layout. The summary statement which follows immediately informs the reader of the level of the candidate and the sectors of experience. What follows then in the bulleted lists is 'achievement' driven. The clear sense of what he has done and achieved is very evident.

Niall Fernley

14 Mount Drive
Milwood
Garbidge
G19 3FG
Tel: 01222 345 666
Mobile: 07789 890123
e-mail n.fernley@ntlworls.co.uk

A highly experienced computer-literate Sales and Marketing Director who has consistently adopted a systematic approach over all areas of responsibility, responding to the specific requirements of each market sector, and ensuring that the best possible level of customer service has been delivered. Operating in situations which have required responding to the management of change and evolving innovative solutions to deal with such matters, there has been developed in-depth appreciation of all areas of the FMCG market and the related supply chain.

Mexhandite International 1994 – Date

Sales and Marketing Director

• Led a team of 15 responsible for all marketing and home and export sales in Company manufacturing a wide range of household and personal care products
• Increased annual sales year on year by 15%, i.e. from £10 million to £26 million
• Negotiated with major high street multiples; gained listings for private label and branded products
• Contributed to Company strategy as a member of Board of Directors
• Developed partnership agreements with leading retail outlets leading to major volume sales, e.g. Safeway soaps 16 million units, Morrisons fabric conditioner 1 million and Tesco washing up liquid 3 million
• Formulated pricing programmes to increase gross profits
• Co-ordinated all aspects of fast track product launch
• Project managed introduction of new products and new product concepts to all major retailers
• Restructured customer service department; improved level of service delivery to 98.9%
• Developed the volume and profitability of overseas market sectors through more effective sales and marketing campaigns
• Liaised with a particularly wide cross section of internal and external contacts and service providers

Celtic Pride Dairies 1992 – 1994

Group Sales Director

• Rationalised sales operation of two separate companies and led sales team of 30; responsible for all training and development
• Negotiated new trading arrangements with high street multiples representing additional £7 million sales p.a.
• Co-ordinated all aspects of major new product launches
• Increased turnover to £170 million, the highest for any Scottish food manufacturer
• Delivered effective solutions to a particularly diverse range of sales related issues
• Contributed to the development of major sales and marketing campaigns

Penkish Farm Dairy Foods Ltd 1990 – 1992

Sales and Marketing Director

• Devised and implemented comprehensive training courses to improve effectiveness of sales and marketing teams
• Held full responsibility for all sales and marketing activities in £78 million turnover company, managing 40 staff
• Managed all arrangements for FreshCool brand, Scotland's biggest grocery brand with £30 million sales
• Operated in a pro-active manner to develop and launch brands to specifically meet customers' requirements, e.g. fresh milk portions (Forte) and FreshCool in plastic bottle
• Devised, developed and implemented a considerable number of influential marketing campaigns to increase public awareness of dairy product ranges

Meols Beverages Ltd 1984 – 1990

National Accounts Controller

• Increased turnover in key accounts by 10% year on year (£24 to £40 million) with overall £5 million increase in profit
• Launched a wide range of new products co-ordinating all aspects of launch programmes including sugar free dilutable drinks for Safeway and Parton Hills mineral water as Waitrose and Tesco own brands
• Contributed to overall strategy in privately owned company
• Carried out general management role over production planning, distribution and planning areas

Further Education: BSc Combined Sciences, Garbidge University

Personal: Married, British, Full clean driving licence, DoB 14-9-1972

References: Available on request.

If you struggle with creating a CV like this read more at CV Writing

Writing an effective Executive CV can be quite difficult, because the emphasis needs to demonstrate executive capabilities and the delivery of added-value to the business.

When writing an effective executive level CV you must be aware of the greater demands and responsibilities placed upon the executive as compared to the other levels of employee in an organization.

To be an executive is to hold the authority to act on behalf of the business in ways that may affect the organization without any restraint other than the executive's frame of reference as it sits within the company policy.

Although an executive may be broadly aligned to the same competency framework as other employees, the difference is in the level of competence required and this is what must be demonstrated and illustrated when writing an effective executive level CV.

For example the main executive competency criteria may include:

• leadership
• presentation skills
• team building
• strategic thinking
• people management

Naturally these could also apply to any other employee throughout the organization. However the difference is in the scale or higher level required of the executive's ability to perform the required competence.

This is why it is not sufficient, when writing an effective Executive CV to refer simply to responsibilities. You have to define the substance of the responsibility or the crucial purpose of the role and then place it into context.

The difference then becomes clear: the statement becomes one of responsible TO (i.e. the board of directors) and accountable FOR.

Writing in this way removes any doubt about the true purpose of the executive's job role and leaves the way open to describe HOW the responsibility is discharged.

Nothing makes it clearer to a prospective employer or headhunter than specific, concise statements of purpose and delivery. It also makes for a very focused executive CV that wastes no time in getting it's message across to the reader. Which also says something about the executive!

So, to write an effective Executive level CV you should start with name and contact details then follow with an introductory paragraph that establishes the level, sector and key attributes of the individual as they relate to the appointment and lead the reader in the desired direction.