Diane Hill gives an insight into what human resources departments look for in a CV
Be succinct Your cv should be no more than three pages long – trying to plough through a 10-page CV can be a bit of a chore. And a CV should always be purely factual. People are often tempted to put in information to sell themselves in their cv, but the point should be to demonstrate your skills and experience.

Send a covering letter A covering letter is very important as you can use it to tailor information about yourself to the job you are applying for. Use the covering letter to demonstrate how you fit the job criteria and use the key words the company used in their advertisement.

Consider your referees carefully When choosing the people you want as your referees, consider those who can give information about you that relates to the type of job you are applying for. Take a while to think about who can offer the most accurate reflection of you, your skills and abilities.

Don't give away too much too soon Don't be tempted to put everything about yourself in your initial application as this leaves you with nothing to reveal at the interview stage, which is the stage at which you should start to sell yourself.

Be honest Your cv should be an honest overview of you as a person and of your skills and experience. It is possible for an organisation to take legal action against you if information you have given in your cv is not truthful. Even little white lies are not worth it.

Think carefully about what you are saying about yourself If you are going to put a personal statement into your cv, try to relate it to the job specification. Mention any committees you are on or community and voluntary work you do, but don't get bogged down with mentioning your hobbies. Finally, make sure the cv is bang up to date and offers a true reflection of who you are.