IDEA 1

Heres an idea for you - Read your profile statement out loud to yourself. Is the language as natural as possible? There’s a tendency for profile statements to be jam-packed with managerial gobbledygook and cliché. So, no "proactive self-starter" nonsense if you please. That said, you do want to be upbeat and positive about yourself.
The fact is, if you can't convince the reader that you’re well worth an interview by the time they're midway down page one of your CV, it's unlikely they'll read much further. Think of the first half of page one as your prime selling space. Your aim should be to try to feature all of your major arguments for being
interviewed in that space.

Writing a CV isn't like writing a novel where you slowly tease and intrigue the reader, building gradually to a compelling climax. With a CV, your impact must be front-end loaded. There's no point in introducing a new and compelling piece of information halfway down the second page of your CV, as chances are the reader won't reach that point and so it won't be noticed.

So, what's the best information to put on that first half page? Well, virtually all recruiters expect to see your name and contact details at the top of the first page. Not just your name, address and home telephone number, by the way. You should also include your mobile number and an email address, as these are good indicators of your technological literacy.
Defining idea
"When I’ve got say 50 or 60 CVs to look through, I simply don’t have time to go through them all in detail." JOHN VILLIS, recruitment
After your contact details, I'd recommend including a two- or three-line profile statement. Well go into more detail about profiles elsewhere, but for now think of it as a sixty-to eighty-word précis of what you have to offer that would make you a prime contender for the position you're going for.

By the time you've included contact details and a profile statement, you should still have around a half to two-thirds of that first half page still available to you. What follows the profile will vary according to what elements of your background and experience most closely match what the recruiter is looking for. If they’re trying to recruit somebody who can do A, B and C, then you'll need to show explicit evidence of your attainments and experience at doing A, B and C. If this evidence can best be shown in your current/most recent role, then you'll probably want to go straight into your career history. If, on the other hand, you need to draw on your broader career and experience to prove your competence at A, B and C, a section called something like Key Achievements or Key Skills & Experience would suit your purpose better.

The recruiter is only likely to read on beyond this first portion of your CV if they're convinced you explicitly meet the specification they're recruiting against. This is therefore not the time for subtlety. Above all, don't rely on the recruiter to draw inferences from the information you provide. Concentrate on filling that first half page with as much relevant information as you can, paying particular attention to addressing the job and person requirements that the recruiter has stated.
Try another idea
The profile statement is the single most important element of the first page of your CV, me in a nutshell, for some pointers.
Defining idea
"Time is precious, but truth is more precious than time."BENJAMIN DISRAELI
How did it go?
Given this, it goes without saying that to feature a piece of information that the recruiter is likely to regard as irrelevant is a definite no-no.
Q Is eight seconds for real? I didn't realise recruiters were quite that lazy!
A Pretty much. Some studies suggest that the figure could be as low as three seconds, but no more than thirty seconds max on average. It's pragmatism as opposed to laziness in my view. Do the sums. A typical advertisement in the Sunday papers pulls in around 500 applications. Realistically, if there's one post to fill, then eight to ten interviewees should do the trick, with maybe half a dozen candidates in reserve. The recruiter's challenge is therefore to whittle the applications down from 500 to fifteen as quickly and fairly as possible. Allowing two minutes per CV would mean over two days spent going through them all. Besides, when they're in a position to eliminate 97% of the applicants, they can set high standards for making the shortlist. They can also afford to reject candidates for relatively minor reasons.

Q When companies are shortlisting on that basis, how can they be sure they're getting the best candidates?
A They can't. The process is designed to pick up those people who convey succinctly and explicitly how they meet the selection criteria. The candidate who might be the best in reality yet doesn't convey their proposition effectively is always in danger of missing out.


Interview Tips


Handling interviews
A CV has only really achieved its goal if you secure an interview, when you'll need to reinforce and build on its content. If your CV isn't securing you interviews, then you might as well wrap your old potato peelings in it and lob it in a bin for all the use it is to you and your career.

If you're invited to an interview, you'll normally have a week or two's notice. This period is a crucial part of the proceedings. Used effectively, you can give yourself a real chance to shine on the day.

At this point I'd like to remind you of something glaringly obvious, but hugely important. The reason you've been offered an interview is because somebody liked what you put into your CV. The content will have struck them as relevant, interesting and at the very least sufficiently intriguing to suggest you might have something useful to offer.

So, when you go along to an interview, be ready to expand on each and every element of your CV. Every line, every point you make, every comma is a legitimate subject of conversation with your interviewer (OK, maybe not the commas unless you've applied to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Commas or similar).