Did you know that CV (curriculum vitae) is Latin for life story? Now this does not mean you include your last relationship in all its gory minutiae plus the details of your latest trip to Glastonbury. Although it could potentially make you sound an exciting candidate, it probably won't get you what you want – that all important interview.

Before putting your CV together, picture the scene at the recipient's end – piles of CVs on a desk. Several hours later someone has waded through these and made a decision on who to interview. What will have singled yours out? There are times when there are three times as many CVs as there are jobs. Keep this ratio in mind when you put pen to paper.

Your CV is an advert to sell yourself. To get the job you want your CV is the key to unlocking the opportunity to getting the interview.

The basics
The headings you need to work with include:
Your name
Contact details (home address, email address and daytime telephone number)
Personal profile statement (see below)
Qualifications & education (in chronological order, with most recent first) Highlight any special projects, dissertation work, or thesis.
Employment history (in chronological order, with most recent first). State the company name, dates and your role – what did you do and what did you achieve?
Skills (eg, additional languages, full driving licence)
Interests/hobbies
Referees (one from an employer if that's possible, and one from your place of study)

It is vital to be honest on your CV because chances are that if you claim to have read the entire works of Dostoevsky and you get that interview, the interviewer will have done it bigger and better and you'll get challenged on it.

Getting started
You're at the computer. I know it's tempting but I would suggest not typing 'CV template' into your internet search engine because you want to keep an element of it personal. It's very obvious when someone’s used a template and you want your submission to stand out. Your CV should be your own and represent you.

Put in the above headings, keep it simple and lay it out clearly. Look at it with an objective eye and ask a friend – does it read well? Is it concise? And would you interview someone if that CV was put in front of you?

Two housekeeping basics to remember are to check the spelling and keep the length of your CV to two A4 pages max. I once received a CV on six pages. I contacted the agency it came through and asked them to contact the candidate and condense it to two pages. Many others would have filed it – in the bin.

Your personal profile statement
This is a four or five sentence overview of your skills and qualities detailing what you could bring to the organisation. In my view, this is the most important part of the CV. If I don't find that this section is specific to the job or if it's dull I struggle to read any further. Remember that the personal profile statement should lure the employer in.

The covering letter
You've now got your CV in front of the right person and you know your CV is laid out concisely and clearly with all relevant information underneath tidy headings. But how do you ensure your CV is read? The key is in your covering letter. Take the time to telephone and find out the name of the person dealing with CVs. Address your letter and envelope to the person of that name and make the letter relevant to the company (surprisingly most aren't).

Okay, so now the content. State clearly what job you are interested in, or if it's a speculative CV explain what work you are interested in and why. Draw attention to one or two key points on your CV that make you the ideal candidate suited to that particular job, with that particular employer. Your letter should be concise and on one side of A4. Keep it neat and business focused – in line with your CV.

Top tips
If you asked me to give you two top tips that could gain you that extra advantage, one would be to always telephone the person you sent your CV to. Give them around a week. If you can't get hold of them, try again because it's the tenacious people that will get that job.

Secondly, if I'm screening CVs from graduates I look for achievements and success. You may be thinking "I can't demonstrate that without a long line of employment history behind me?" But you can. What have you been involved in, how has this interest progressed? For example, were you in a sports team? Did you captain it? Or maybe you have run or assisted at a charity event, or won a prize for an award you won? Employers are attracted to achievements because they want the applicant to bring this success to their business. It's as simple as that.

Securing an interview is not an easy business, but a bit of time and effort could make your CV stand out. Provide potential employers with the right reasons for wanting to speak to you. Do their thinking for them.

The Author:
Julie Worth is Personnel Associate at Napp Pharmaceuticals.
She can be contacted at Julie.Worth@napp.co.uk or on 07753 579 788.
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