We appreciate preparing your CV can be a daunting task. As a result, we have prepared this guide to help you prepare a CV that will impress potential employers and ultimately lead to a job offer.

Why prepare a CV?
The purpose of a CV is to get you an interview and make a great first impression. This is why it is such an important document.

The CV also serves as a great reminder of you after the client has met you, as often they will be seeing a number of people in succession.

We find our clients like CVs that clearly explain what you have to offer.  Therefore your CV should be a well presented document that sells you and explains your previous work history clearly and concisely.

Preparing to write your CV
Most people only review their CV when they start their job search.  This can mean that your CV may not have been read for some years.  People are often tempted to just add on their most recent job and then starting sending out their CV.

When clients review CV’s like this they can often sound very disjointed.  In order to create a good CV that flows, it is often best to start from the beginning.

Below are a few tips as to how to start creating a CV that will stand out:

• Take time to think about successful periods in your career – how it felt, what people said about you. Make a note of your successes and achievements.
•  Think about your audience – employers – this CV is not for you,  it's for the employer. So, as you write your CV, put yourself in the shoes of the intended employer browsing through hundreds of CVs – looking for that ‘one person’.  You want your CV to be the one that is engaging, clear, concise and most importantly a true reflection of the value you can add to their business.
• Be clear on your ‘work / career’ objective – this may be a short term goal or a long term aspiration. If you have changed career directions a number of times, or want to do so now – you must make it clear in your CV. The best place to do this is at the beginning in your Personal Profile (see 4. below).
•  Personal Profile - start with your profile – this 4/6 line personal profile is the teaser or hook to the employer who will then want to find out more.  It needs to 'sell' your skills, experience and achievements whilst being honest and truthful.  Use words that you feel confident that a friend or colleague would use to describe you - too many 'gushing adjectives' will switch people off - but not enough will mean that potential employers won't seek more information.
•  Career History – this should start with your most recent employment – detail the Job Title, the period you worked there (months only) and Company
  
  e.g. Marketing Executive Jun 04 - Jun 06 BG Plc
  
  For the last 3 roles, identify the key roles and responsibilities that were associated with the role and summarise this in an opening statement. Then pick out the 3 - 4 most significant achievements you were personally responsible for and describe them, qualifying them at all times with statistics if you can. If you had staff and technical responsibilities try to show achievements in both areas.
  
  For example:
  Accountable for all marketing campaigns for Brand x; which contributes x% to BG’s profit, and leading a team of 2 marketing assistants to deliver this plan through maximizing brand awareness through integrated advertising, PR and promotional activity.
  - Developed communication strategy for Brand x which grew consumer awareness from 25% to 35% over 2 years, compared to a target of 30%.
  - Increased team job satisfaction from 75%-90% within 12 months (measured by internal survey).
  
  For roles / jobs that are over 10 years ago – briefly summarise them in 1 or 2 lines
•  Education, Training and Qualifications - start with highest level of education obtained and work back - keep it brief. List any relevant training course
• Additional information - Keep brief and factual. Use this as an opportunity to reflect your personality. Interests and hobbies can be positive. If you are sporty it suggests you are fit and healthy, Chairman of a society shows leadership qualities etc.
•  Check, and double check for spelling mistakes, typos and grammatical errors. Perhaps ask someone to proof read the CV for you. Glaring errors will really put a client off a potentially fantastic employee.