CVs are your first point of contact with any potential employer; the reader needs to recognise immediately what you have to offer and how you are going to make a real and positive impact on their business.

Your CV needs to be clear and simple to understand. In particular, this is what you need to focus on:

Profile
Start your cv with a profile of you as a person – your technical skills are covered later. Get the reader’s interest – make them want to meet you.

Ability vs achievements
This very much depends on the type of job you’re looking for. If you’re looking for freelance work, it’s best to focus on your skills – make it easy for the reader to see that you can do exactly what they need doing. However if it’s permanent work you’re after you need to show what you’ve achieved as well as what you can do. Your potential employer needs to be convinced that you’re going to add real value to their business.

Style
First impressions are vital – the reader can be adversely affected if the CV isn’t clear to read and well laid out. Don’t try and be clever, choose a simple typeface and size and keep it constant throughout. By all means highlight key headings, but don’t overdo it.

Content
Consider the relevance of all the points you’re listing keep to the skills and experience that are relevant to get you a job. And finally, don’t lie!

At Jobwise we offer a free CV writing service, so if you come in and register with us we’ll make sure you have an effective, well-written CV.