Always:

• Open your CV with a brief Personal Profile, be succinct and positive, busy employers/recruiters will make a decision in seconds.
• Use a high impact format, preferably with your name in capitals or on colour to ensure that you get noticed
• Use clean and easily legible typefaces, such as Arial, Arial Narrow or Tahoma.
• Start your employment details from your current position and work back.
• Double-check all spelling yourself; do not simply rely on a spell checker (it may be American as opposed to English).
• Keep your CV to a maximum of 3 pages where possible and try to be siccint whilst being achievement orientated.
• Ensure every sentence sells you at your best, use positive words.
• Quantify all claims with £ figures and or % improvement.
• Ensure your CV is factual and above all honest in terms of job titles, employment duration and qualifications.
• Include relevant professional training, awards and memberships, along with dates of when they were awarded.
• Be clear on what you have to offer a potential employer.

Never:

• Make false claims.
• Complain or use negative words and phrases.
• Date your CV.
• Put personal details on the ‘covering page’ of the CV, such as date of birth, number of dependants etc, this is a valuable space and should be used to outline your profile and skills.
• Go into great detail on employment which is over 10 years ago, instead, insert a heading such as ‘early work history’.