what is the format of your CV?

[misslideaway]

eg mine is
Personal details
Objective
Qualifications
Experiance
Afilliations
Skills
Additional Information
References

Can anyone suggest the ideal way..if there is such a thing? Should I get rid of objective?

[Greedyfly]

I got mine off the internet checked through a couple of websites and found an easy template and never had a problem so far finding work. Google it see what you find you may find one you like better.

[Greedyfly]

I think the best thing (the way I have seen them at work) is to keep it informative and fairly short, mine is two pages and not too rammed with info - I see C.V's everyday where I work and some of them are apalling and when the boss see's the outlay or the too much info it gets bypassed and pretty much ignored.

[whqttt]

I've been looking at my own CV recently.

I'm not sure if it's worth paying a "professional" to rewrite it, but I am seriously considering it as an option. Mine is basically the same it was 20 years ago with a few new jobs and skills added along the way.

I know people with the same skills, experience as me and they seem to fall into far better jobs than I do. It can't all be down to poor interview technique, as I don't get the interviews they do!

[gammaray]

Keep it short and to the point. fluffing it out with useless bits of information is actually counter productive.

[patc7641]

I am an adviser in a Jobcentre and always advise people to tailor their CV's to the job they are after, ie have different cvs for different types of work. Ideally keep them to one page, keep irrelevant info to a minimum and state on the CV what your strengths and experience's are for the job you are applying for. Greedyfly is right, employers see many CVs and dont want to trawl through stuff. Try sending it in on coloured paper, not pink or anything, but a darker shade, may help it stand out. Also use good quality paper, if possible.

[Top Turkey]

As someone who regularly has to wade through job applications at a University, I would say that the CV should be no more than 2 pages maximum. It should clearly set out your formal qualifications and a chronological summary of your work experience as a minimum. Personally, I take no notice of hobbies and the books people like reading when deciding whether to shortlist, so you might want to keep your interests personal and off the CV.

If you are not getting interviews, this may be because you do not use the 'additional information' section of the application form to convince the reader that your experience and skills will allow you to do the job you are applying for. I see so many applications where applicants simply write "see CV" in this bit - this should be the bit where you sell yourself and make the recruiting manager's job easy!

In summary, look at the whole 'package' you present when applying for a post and not just one isolated part of the CV.

:-)