As a recruitment consultant, one sees an awful lot of CV's. And they come in all sorts of different formats. As one might expect from lawyers, the majority are quite well put together, but certainly not all of them. Sometimes the quality of the English is so poor as to be hilarious, while some of the matters referred to are so inappropriate as to leave one mystified as to why anyone would ever include them in a professional CV. I remember one candidate who listed "sleeping" as one of her favourite pastimes.

While there is not just one format of CV that should be used above all others, there are undoubtedly good and bad practices. There are certain things that one should never do and others that are pretty much essential in any résumé.

The actual style of your CV may change dependent on the job for which you are applying. The preferences of US and English law firms provide a good example. A US firm will usually want to see a single page CV, plus a deal list, whereas an English firm will generally prefer a somewhat longer, less concentrated document.

In general terms, a CV should be clear and concise. Accordingly, rather than writing long paragraphs of commentary, one should use short bullet points. Also, the document should be divided into clearly marked sections. By way of example, you might have Personal Details, Education, Professional Qualifications, Professional Experience and Languages. This is not a finite list, but would be appropriate for a high proportion of candidates.

It is also important, particularly for a lawyer, to be precise. We often see candidates leaving out the class of honours awarded on their degree. This invariably means that the candidate was awarded less than upper second class honours. Prospective employers are not simply going to ignore the omission and so by leaving it out, you are actually drawing attention to a potential weakness.

Similarly, candidates will sometimes leave out a short period of employment that, for one reason or another, didn't work out. Again this is a mistake. Your employment history should be complete with dates. A gap will usually be spotted and you will then be asked about it. Once more, your omission is likely to draw attention to something you would rather not discuss.

Dates are very important in CV's. An experienced interviewer will usually want to follow the time line for your education and professional career to ensure nothing is being missed which may be relevant to their assessment of you. Accordingly, you should include both months and years of each recorded event.

Another area in which it is important to be precise is in relation to any foreign languages in which you are proficient. Some candidates will include all languages in which they can speak more than five words. In reality, the only language skills that are relevant are those that could be of assistance to your professional life and thus the minimum standard to be included is the ability to hold a conversation. Moreover, you should be clear as to the level of your ability, whether that is conversational or anything up to native standard. For non-Latin alphabet languages, you should specify whether you can read and write, and, if so, to what standard.

A CV should be a factual document. However, we regularly see résumés in which candidates provide a list of self proclaimed attributes, such as "hard worker" or "strong marketing skills". The reality is that any candidate can say the same thing. Without any independent assessment, such statements are completely without value and look unprofessional. Accordingly, they should be avoided. Prospective employers will make their own mind up in relation to your personality at interview and sometimes by speaking to referees.

A CV is an extremely important document in the recruitment process. On its own a CV will never get you a job, but it can undoubtedly stop you getting one. Poorly prepared résumés regularly prevent otherwise strong candidates from ever meeting prospective employers. A good CV must be well set out, articulate and succinct. It should illustrate, as best and fully as possible, who you are professionally along with the kind and standard of work you have undertaken.

Producing a good CV is not particularly hard, but it is something to which you need to commit sufficient time. Poor CV's, particularly from professionals, are usually the result of rushing and carelessness. Nevertheless, if you need any particular tips or for someone to give your document a once over, pick up the phone and give us a call.