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FROM the woman whose 鈥渕aturity leave鈥� was the reason for quitting her last job, to the man who included a letter from his mum, the road to CV hell is paved with good intentions, so dos and don鈥檛s are vital. And with most recruiters only giving each one a measly 20 seconds, your CV also needs to pack one hell of a punch. So here are our top 10 ways of getting your two pages to the top of the pile.

Remember: Revere relevance.

聯Languages: Russian, French, Operatic Italian聰

鈥淎 CV serves one purpose and one purpose only, and that鈥檚 to secure an interview,鈥� says John Doherty of technical and engineering recruiters CBSbutler. So tailor the content accordingly and cut out irrelevant waffle. Employers state the skills they are looking for, so check that they match the information in your CV, advises Stephen Kennedy, a recruitment partner for pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. 鈥淧ut your money where your mouth is and prove you actually have that expertise.鈥�

Remember: Spellchecker is your friend.

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It may seem like a no-brainer, but using a spellchecker is overlooked by scores of foolhardy applicants. According to Doherty, this is still one of the most common mistakes, and could send your CV straight to the shredder. Proofread your CV, then get someone else to check it, advises Kennedy. You rarely get a second chance.

Remember: Keep it clean.

聯!!Excellent IT skills including formatting and layout!!聰

According to a study by online CV service iProfile, most applicants believe the way their CV looks is key to impressing recruiters, whereas employers themselves couldn鈥檛 care less. So forget coloured paper, weird titles and elaborate fonts; the best way to make your CV stand out is clarity. 鈥淜eep it plain and simple, and think about the layout,鈥� says Ros Kindersley, head of JFL Search & Selection. And of course, a CV sent electronically will be printed, so if it requires yellow ink and black paper to be legible, it鈥檚 no good to anyone. 鈥淭he most attractive thing on your CV is the name of your current employer and your current position,鈥� adds Kindersley. Not a border of pretty pink stars.

Remember: Sell yourself (just try not to get carried away).

聯Skills: Makes a great cup of tea聰

Bigging yourself up can be embarrassing, but that鈥檚 what your CV is there for. 鈥溞影稍�创s tend to be modest,鈥� says Lorna Crombie, director of scientific recruitment firm CK Science, 鈥渢hey鈥檙e not the kind of people who blow their own trumpet.鈥� It might feel alien, but you need to learn to show off tastefully, she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not enough that you鈥檝e done something really well. You have to be able to explain that to people in a way that casts you in the most positive light.鈥�

Remember: Keep your interests interesting.

聯Interests: Sex, 19th-century French furniture, film 鈥� I have 3 DVD players and a 42-inch plasma TV聰

Believe it or not, these are all real examples. But even mainstream hobbies can say more about you than you might think. According to research by Yell.com, 59 per cent of the nation鈥檚 employers believe your interests tell them how well you鈥檒l fit in. Despite this, a third of us don鈥檛 list any at all. As a scientist you can use your hobbies to counter common stereotypes. Don鈥檛 just pick solitary pursuits such as reading or listening to music, but highlight some team activities too. Skills like DIY will also demonstrate a practical side, proving you鈥檙e not just a big brain. But be warned: 鈥溾�楽ocialising鈥� is overrated as a hobby 鈥� what you really mean is going to the pub and getting drunk with your mates,鈥� Crombie says, 鈥渁nd we see that a bit too often.鈥�

Remember: Don鈥檛 try to be funny; there are no good jokes on a CV.

聯I work well with people in all positions鈥� and not just in the bedroom聰

鈥淚t鈥檚 really important to try to get your personality across in some way,鈥� says Crombie, but jokes simply aren鈥檛 the way to do it. 鈥淪ense of humour is such a personal thing and it鈥檚 a minefield when it comes to offending people,鈥� she warns. A much better way to inject your personality is with passion. 鈥淚f there鈥檚 one thing all candidates underestimate it鈥檚 the power of enthusiasm,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what鈥檚 going to get you an invite for interview.鈥�

Remember: A photo is a faux pas.

聯Like the lion in this picture, I am confident, strong and well-groomed聰

鈥淲hat a good CV needs is a succinct profile of no more than half a dozen sentences summarising what you are all about,鈥� says Doherty. It should include key skills and activities from previous employment, and perhaps longer-term career aspirations. But unless specifically requested, don鈥檛 include a photo, of you or any other wildlife.

A personal profile should also be just that 鈥� personal. Avoid saying you are a team player with excellent communication skills, warns Crombie: 鈥淧icking these clich茅s will make you look like just another graduate.鈥�

Remember: Honesty isn鈥檛 always the best policy.

聯Career Objectives: to make lots of money and retire early聰

Career objectives say a lot about your attitude, so think about the kind of person the company wants to employ. If you are applying to a charity, a mercenary outlook won鈥檛 go down well. Money is important, but there are better ways to get it than asking outright. According to iProfile, one way is to make sure your CV accurately reflects your current skills.

CEO Rick Bacon says applicants often suffer from what he calls 鈥淐V amnesia鈥�. By forgetting to list skills they actually have, he says, 鈥減eople miss out on career opportunities worth thousands of pounds more than what they ended up with鈥�. For more information on how much you鈥檙e worth, take a look at the graphic below.

Remember: Your CV is not your thesis.

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鈥淭wenty seconds is the average amount of time people look at a CV before deciding whether to read on,鈥� says Kindersley, so be succinct. As a general rule, stick to two pages. In fact, less can be more when it comes to career history 鈥� if you graduated last year and have already done more jobs than the local cab driver, alarm bells will ring with potential employers. But if it鈥檚 important, don鈥檛 leave it out. 鈥淧eople leave out really critical skills and experience for the sake of getting onto two pages,鈥� says Crombie, 鈥渁nd that鈥檚 the wrong approach to take.鈥�

Remember: The little details say a lot.

聯E-mail: bigboy69@hotmail.com聰

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