Get Your CV Noticed

• A CV is a personal marketing document to get an interview.
• List the basics at the top: name, email, mobile or phone number and website, if you have one. Don't mention your age, birth date (you are not required to by law) or relationship status.
• Write a summary of five lines, explaining your experience/skills, uniqueness. If an employer is reading hundreds of CVs, yours needs to get their attention fast.
• List details of relevant qualifications, experience or jobs you've had in the past 10 years. List others but leave them undated. If you are unemployed and/or returning to work, list things you have done and skills you've used in the interim.
• Style rules: maximum two pages (use both sides of an A4 sheet). A simple typeface like Calibri or Verdana, at least 11 point size. No photos, no spelling mistakes, no jokes. 
• Do not use jargon in a job application or interview. Avoid: team player, proven track record, self-starter, attention to detail, fast-paced, core competancy, blue-sky thinking and the helicopter view, giving it 110%. They are meaningless and overused by young applicants.

You could also think about setting up your own website. The first thing anyone researching you as a potential employee, or your new business, will do is to search online. There's lots of advice online on how to do this - take a look at goodhousekeeping.co.uk/how-to-build-a-website.

Feature by Penny Rich in Good Housekeeping, July 2014