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CVs that sell YOU

Need a pick-me-up to remind yourself how good you are? Or are you thinking of looking for a new job in January? Then its time to get your CV into shape. But what makes a good CV and how can you make sure that yours is good enough to get you that all important interview?

Your CV is designed to do one thing and one thing only: to get you an interview. But the average recruiter will only spend between 20 to 30 seconds glancing at a CV which means that you need to make an impression quickly. And that means selling yourself.

Acting as a personal shop window your CV enables buyers (recruiters) to see what you have to offer. As with advertising and sales the presentation and structure of your CV are crucial and - luckily most people actually get it wrong which will put you at an advantage straight away.

The following structure breaks your CV into a maximum of two pages. The first and most important page focuses on your strengths and demonstrates that you are precisely the person for the job. The second page will focus on your career history and personal details. Most people structure their CVs the other way round but the your CV needs to show that you have the skills employers are looking for because they want to quickly establish what can this person do for my business?'

Page one

1. Heading:

Position your name followed by Curriculum Vitae' or CV' at the top of the page with your contact details immediately underneath.

2. Personal Profile:

This is your first opportunity to impress and to be objective by spelling out your career goals. Use bold, assertive statements that clearly highlight your core strengths and qualifications that are relevant to the position you are applying. For example: "Results-orientated team player proactively seeking the opportunity to develop my career further".

3. Skills, Experience and Professional Training:

Avoid the temptation to launch into your employment history at this stage. This section should be a bullet-point summary of your key skills and attributes such as IT literate, excellent presentation and PowerPoint skills or strong negotiation ability.

Include training courses that you have attended - some organisations such as Yell and Yellow Book are renowned for their excellent sales training and it makes their sales consultants highly sought after candidates.

4. Major achievements:

If you have a trumpet to blow then blow it! Take advantage of this space to list up to six key professional achievements that will set you apart from

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