When updating your CV you need to ask yourself the following questions:
· Who it is aimed at?
· Is it concise?
· Does it focus on my strengths?
· Is it achievement/ benefits orientated?
· Does it contain all the essential information?

Who will be reading my CV?
You need to know whom you are aiming to impress in order to give you an interview. Break it down into the type of industry, the organisation and size of company. You need to think of the reader, will it be a MD of a small company who is looking for someone with management skills but who is also happy to get their hands dirty? Is it a HR Manager in a large company who is looking for management expertise and specialist skills?

Is my CV going to be functional or Chronological?
A reverse chronological CV should list your career starting from your current role. A functional CV should list your key skills/competencies in order of importance and then list your career history at the end.

You need to think carefully about which format emphasises your strengths. If you have had lots of breaks in your career then a skills based CV will work best as you can sell your transferable skills/competencies.

If you have a steady career history then a traditional reverse chronological CV may be more suitable.

What have been my key achievements?
You must emphasise your achievements/benefits throughout your CV. Ask yourself what was the benefit of implementing the change that I drove? If I was to summarise my current role in one sentence what has been my most significant achievement? It is essential that you have answers to these questions to make your CV stand out from the competition.

What are my transferable skills?
Think of your transferable skills, this could include experiences gained when travelling or bringing up a young family and make them relevant to the position you are applying for. The key isn’t what you did, but what you learnt from the experience.

Why are the last five years important?
You need to remember that the interviewer is only interested in the last five years of your experience or the last three roles. So all other experience e.g. Graduate Scheme should be summarised in two lines.

What information should I provide about the organisation?
After the name of each organisation you have worked for it is a good idea to write one line describing it (e.g. multi-national market leader in…). This gives the reader a clear indication of the impact of the role.

What type of words should I use?
If you are applying for a specific job advertisement you should incorporate words similar to those the employer has used. As a general rule there should be lots of verbs such as managed, multi-tasked, etc.

What is my Career Objective?
Once you have done a draft version of your CV you should consider writing a two-line summary of the next position you are looking for after your profile e.g. a management role that would utilise my … skills/experience would best meet my career aspirations.

What essential information should I provide?
As well as your postal and e-mail address you need to give a contact number where you can speak freely rather than mumble into the phone.

At this stage of your career you should still include your educational background including dates of when you passed exams to give the interviewer a full picture of yourself.

How many CV’s should I have?
You should have two CV’s, which perfectly fit the positions you are applying for. Ask yourself what are the three top skills/experiences the reader is looking for and are they obvious within the first minute of reading my CV?

How am I going present my CV?
You can e-mail or post it, on good quality white paper and in a hard backed A4 sized envelope.

How long should writing my CV take?
Be sure to give yourself enough time to write a couple of drafts and then show it to people and tell them exactly whom you are sending it to. Then ask them if they were to summarise your career in three sentences what would they say?

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