Some candidates who are on the job market for the first time for a long time will find it hard to locate their CV, if they even have one, it’s probably still on a floppy disk somewhere in a box in the loft! They will also be surprised by the technological advances since they were last looking for a new career, online applications, job boards, and recruiting via social media. Be prepared to revamp your CV and use modern software and programmes to promote your skills.

• Use standard fonts and standard programmes, even if you have the best CV in the batch it will get rejected if the recipient is unable to open it or the fancy font isn’t recognised.

• Make sure your name and address (and not the words Curriculum Vitae) are at the top of the CV and preferably not in the header as they are not always visible in “view only” mode.

• Stick to a maximum of two pages if you can but don’t worry if you can’t; make sure the first half of the first page is where you really demonstrate you can do the job.

• Don’t include hobbies and interests unless they’re relevant – and don’t include “socialising” and “drinking” or the name of your dog and pet rabbit.

• Back up any claims you make about yourself with an example. So don’t just say “responsible for sales” but do say “identified new business opportunities “.

• Once it’s done check, check and check again – and get someone else to do the same – spelling and grammar. Remember spell checkers will only pick up misspelt words and not misplaced words we have seen “fiancé officer” and duties including “Dew Diligence” on CV’s