Job doctor

CVs can be an art form but they all require the same basic information. The knack is to make it catch the reader's eye and go on the "possible" pile, rather than straight in the bin.

First, check with the organisation you are approaching that it accepts CVs and does not insist on application forms.

Your CV has to be make the recipient want to read rather than scan it, but be wary of gimmicks such as bright yellow paper, cartoons or personal photographs.

It may seem obvious, but you need to include your name, address and contact details at the beginning of the document. It is also useful here to include a line (or two) on your education and professional qualifications.

Thoughts vary on whether to include your date of birth. Personally, I find it helpful (and it saves me working it out from qualifications and experience).

Short, titled paragraphs and succinct bullet points help the reader. Use a consistent typeface throughout, but put the job title, organisation and other relevant information in bold to help the eye scan quickly. Don't use jargon and abbreviations, and do use plain English.

Any information should be concise and precise, and try to keep the CV to just two pages (three at the absolute maximum). Detail your jobs and experience in backwards order, starting with the most recent. Use a consistent form of heading – for example, job title, company, location, and time period.

Each listing should cover your work experience in that job, your responsibilities and number of staff managed. But it is not necessary to use the same number of sentences for every job and it's reasonable to give more detail on recent jobs than those in the distant past.

Achievements must be pertinent to the job for which you are applying, so select the highlights, and try to quantify the achievement (percentage savings, number of people housed) to go with it. And don't overstate the truth.