Your Resume/CV structure

• Open your CV with an objective: What you would like to do next? This is hugely important but so often forgotten. Just a sentence or so outlining what it is you want to do, and the reader can see at a glance what you are looking for. Make a recruiter's life easier and he or she will thank you for it. It also helps them see what else you might be able to do.

• Personal profile: This is about how you work. Provide a few sentences that paint a picture of you at work. It helps the reader understand your 'intangible qualities' and how you would fit into their organisation. It is also a useful exercise for you to consider your strengths and weaknesses.

• Select achievements: Consider three or four key things that you rank as an achievement. Explain not only what you did and how you did it, but also the benefits to the company. Where possible, quantify the achievement. Use the bold key to highlight the impact any achievement had on the company. Why? Because it tells the reader how valuable you can be.

• Career history: Pick one approach, e.g. job title, company, dates worked, or company, dates, job title, and stick to it. The point of this section is to tell the reader your key responsibilities in each role, and so establish your credibility. The use of bullets is always good, as it cuts down on romantic prose that makes the reader pick his way through sentences.

• Education and professional qualifications to establish your credentials: New graduates will need to state their subjects and declare grades, as they may have no work or life experience as such to base their strengths or experience on. List only academic subjects with no stress on grades. This will be different for experienced candidates.

• Professional training: List out useful training so that the reader is made aware of your capabilities. If you have been through many courses, be selective and spell out the key qualifications you now have or the skills you have gained.

• Last but not least, a little about yourself: You don't need to say too much. You have already painted a picture of yourself at work, outlined your strengths, told them some selected achievements, and listed your work experience. Keep something back for when you meet at the interview!