You must have a CV. Whenever you apply for a job you see advertised, or register with an agency, the first thing they will ask for is your CV. It’s a marketing document and its whole purpose is to sell you and get you to interview.

I have seen literally thousands of CVs as part of my recruitment work, and far too many end up in the reject pile because they are not doing what they should be doing – getting you into interview.

The advice I provide is practical and relevant. I have been short-listing candidates since 1989 and helping people create CVs since 1997.

Too many people fail to tailor their CV to the job they want, they haven't updated them and there is a lot of irrelevant data.

There is a lot of free advice on the internet, and companies who offer to produce your CV with widely varying prices. Some companies are secretarial companies who will utilise a template. These are often not much better than you can do at home. Others will charge between £150 and £600 and will provide a fantastic CV but what happens when you need to change it? You won't have learnt the skills of CV writing and will be back in touch.

Before you do anything else, go and get your CV. Look at it objectively – be honest and critical. Would you shortlist you?

Ask yourself the following questions:

Is it achievement-orientated? (Or is it a list of what the job involved)	Yes/ No
Are the verbs in the "active" tense?	Yes/ No
Is it structured in your favour? (Do you really want to tell them you are an unqualified sixty year old before they read of your chief executive experience?)	Yes/ No
Does it emphasise your special skills?	Yes/ No
Does it emphasise special achievements outside work?	Yes/ No
Have you avoided any "gaps" which would cause interviewer anxieties?	Yes/ No
Is what you have done quantified where appropriate? (Interviewers love the use of numbers – how much money did you save? What time did you save?)	Yes/ No
Have you used significant or emphasising adjectives? (Excellent experience, sole responsibility)	Yes/ No
Does the page 'breaks' make the reader want to turn the page?	Yes/ No
Are you saying what you can do for the employer? Focusing on benefits?	Yes/ No
Are you only telling them what they need to know?	Yes/ No

If you can answer yes to all the above and you are getting short listed, then your CV is obviously working. If not, I can help you in two different ways:

Option 1:The DIY Approach
Buy the CV eBook: Create a CV
Purchase my CV eBook "Create a CV" to enable you to create your own CV. This is a very cost effective method of getting a CV.

For £10 you get a 73 page e-Book to guide you step by step through creating your CV, and covering letter, plus the preliminary steps will help you prepare for interview.

As a bonus, once you have completed your CV you can send it to me for a free 20 minute critique.

Remember, this is not just about getting a CV together.

It will also guide you through creating a covering letter

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Your CV may just need some tweaking, so why not send it to Denise for a CV REVIEW

		• "I was so impressed by the support Denise gave me - most unexpected. Quick as well as honest and valuable. The 'Create a CV' e-book is full of first class hints and tips, many of which I've never come across anywhere else. The work we did together gave me every chance for success - in my first attempt for 27 years!" Martin Haworth www.coaching-businesses-to-success.com • "Thank you for the CV book, I am working my way through it and finding it very useful already." Fiona O’Connor, Worcester • "The good thing about the CV guide is that it asks all the relevant questions for you. Otherwise you would have to think up the questions yourself and then find the answers as well!" Basically, I thought it was really good; it didn't feel like hard work. Before you know it, from answering the questions in the booklet, you soon have more than enough information to build your CV with. The advice is really good, and it raises a lot of points I had never considered previously, such as writing "would like a job with good opportunities for career progression" etc., which obviously sounds bad to the employer. I guess it is an insight into how a potential employer might view an application. The best thing, in my opinion, is the secret world of achievement bullets! Danny Gray, London • "I found the CV guide really useful. I really like how the questions helped to extract the important points from each job I have had. From that it was easy to see a common thread from the jobs I have done and the skills/attributes which were required to achieve things within those positions." Jo Harris "Your Create a CV Guided Workbook has been very helpful and informative" Stephen W, Gloucestershire Buy the downloadable CV guide and get started on creating a CV that will get you to interview £10

 

Option 2: The Professional Support Approach
Arrange to have your CV and covering letter professionally created

If time is an issue I can create a professional CV for you. This is not a quick job, I need to fully understand what you did in each job and I'll ask you questions to get you thinking about specific achievements. If a recent graduate I'll also ask you questions about your time at university, your extra curricular activities and vacation work.

We’ll also discuss style and layout, you will have a number of CVs to look at and can choose the type face, layout and use of colour that you want, and I'll guide you to something that looks fantastic.

A first draft will be created and will be sent to you to ensure the facts are correct and seeking additional information as appropriate. We’ll review it until we are both happy, and I'm very fussy!

You will then get the CV in both word format and also as a PDF.

The average time spent on discussing and creating a CV is 4 hours and so average fees are £160. The actual cost will vary significantly depending on the amount of work needed. A CV for a Senior Executive, for example, with a lot of work to be undertaken to link it to a specific application with significant levels of reading is likely to cost in the region of £300.

Recent costs:

• CV for a graduate £125
• CV for a career changer £150
• CV for a senior executive £240

"Brilliant help with my job search. I now have a great CV and have appreciated your support in finding a new job. Your confidence in my abilities helped me keep my spirits up."
Helena Fox, Cardiff

The covering letter
The covering letter is 50% of your marketing campaign. To enhance your CV you must match the letter to the requirements of the job. It’s a simple process once you understand what to do, but it is also very time consuming to get it right.

Choose Denise to produce you a covering letter and also be carefully talked through the approach so you can do them for yourself in the future.

Denise can create a covering letter that clearly targets the specific job. Once Denise has created your CV, she will review the materials you have received for a job application and create a covering letter to successfully market you.

The cost varies on how much you do yourself and how much Denise has to read through, it typically costs £50-£70.

Don’t forget, this is covered in the CV book where you will learn how to create an effective CV and an effective covering letter. So if you have the time and the motivation you could do it yourself.