You’ve identified your dream job, found a vacancy advertised with us, and are about to submit an application. So how do you go about putting together a CV which will guarantee you an interview?

Your priority is to put together a document which rapidly communicates your suitability for the role — do this well, and an employer will be only too happy to put your application in the interview pile.

It sounds simple, but most people forget at least one of the five crucial elements for a killer CV. Make sure yours isn’t one of them.

FRL recruitment consultants receive Hundreds of CV’s every week! You need to keep your CV to the point. You might feel a few pages isn’t enough to fit in all your experience but you’re demonstrating your ability to edit as well as showcase by being concise.

It is tempting to massage details to fit a role, and there’s nothing wrong with editing your experience to offer the most relevance to a recruiter. But when it comes to outright mistruths about qualifications or past experience, don’t be tempted.

Employers often imagine themselves to be objective but they can actually be incredibly subjective when interviewing. You can’t be expected to know the unique preferences of an employer in advance but as much research as possible should help you gain an idea of company outlook. A CV should be rewritten to suit every position you apply for. And never send an identikit version to multiple employers by email.

You may wonder how to fit everything into 2 pages but you can free up space by leaving certain things out or by being brief about others that are less important.

What should I definitely include?
Start with your personal details; your name, address and contact details. It's up to you whether you include your age, marital status and nationality - it's not essential.

It should only be a few lines but must spark the reader's interest. For example, if the job involves working with people, you could say you're a good team-worker and an effective communicator. Be brief - you can highlight examples of your skills in later sections.

Education and work experience
This part of your CV depends on your background and the type of job you're applying for. Some jobs require experience, while for others your qualifications are more important. If you've been working for a while, put your employment history first; if you're younger and don't have much work experience, focus on your education and training.

Employers want to see how your experience will be useful to them, so be brief about jobs that are totally different from the one you're applying for. Relevant jobs should be listed in more detail, showing not only your main duties and responsibilities but giving examples of the skills you used and what you achieved. This is the information the employer uses when deciding whether to interview you or not. Your employment history shows your experience and suitability for the job. Include useful information but leave out anything that's not relevant.

Relate your skills and experience to the job description and what the employer is looking for. Also include any relevant temporary or unpaid work. Avoid unexplained gaps in your employment history, as employers may think you have something to hide! You can provide reasons for them further on where necessary.

Education and training
Start with your most recent study and go back to the qualifications you got at school. Using bullet points or a table include:

Hobbies and interests
Some employers like to read about your interests, as it can give them an idea of your strengths and what you'd be like to work alongside. As with your employment history, it should be relevant in some way to the job. For example, if you're involved in any clubs or societies this can show that you enjoy meeting new people. People often put on their CV that they enjoy cooking or reading, but these activities are too general and widespread to be of interest to an employer.

Additional information
If you need to add anything else that's relevant, such as a gap in your employment history for travel or family reasons, you could include a further section titled 'Additional Information' after your interests to explain this.

References
Finally, you should state that references are available if required, although you don't need to include referees' contact details on the CV.

Print your CV on white A4 paper, using just one style and font. It should be concise and easy to read. Check it for spelling and grammar mistakes. You can use a computer spelling and grammar check but it's also good idea to get it checked by somebody else.

A common mistake is to use bold type everywhere. It's good for section headings such as 'Employment History' or 'Education' but many people use it to highlight dates and previous employers' names - this draws the reader's eye away from what's important.

functional - has a section near the beginning that describes skills and abilities acquired through many jobs. Often used by those who've had a very varied career

use positive language - when describing your work achievements use power "doing" words like "launched", "managed" and "improved". Quote figures if possible to back up your claims.

lie - employers have ways of checking what you put is true, and may sack you if they take you on and find out you've lied to them

Finally - Proof read, double-check, and triple-check for errors
Yes, it’s an obvious point — but you would be amazed how many CVs employers receive with typos and spelling mistakes. According to a nationwide survey of recruitment professionals carried out by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, 47% said out of all the CVs they received, 50% contained grammatical errors, with the worst offenders in the 21 to 25-year-old age group. For an employer with a mountain of CVs to work through, even one small error is a welcome reason to file an application in the pile marked 'dustbin'.