A CV has two objectives:

• To inform the client
• To impress the client and sell your attributes

Starbuck James is not suggesting that there is only one way in which to write a CV.  However, to achieve these two objectives, certain guidelines should be followed.

The document will ideally be on two pages… three at most.  Select an appropriate font size to help you achieve this, but do not use a font smaller than 9 or 10pt.  If your CV will not comfortably fit onto two to three pages, edit something out.  Even the most marvellous career should be capable of being summarised on two or three pages using a 9pt font.

To be blunt, we have observed that there is often an inverse relationship between the quality of a candidate, and the length of a CV.

At the first cut, it is possible that your CV will be viewed together with a number of others… possibly up to a hundred.  It is unlikely that, at this stage, a four or five page document will be fully read.  A crisp, hard hitting, two page CV will have a far greater impact than a four or five page document.  Even the most talented candidates can usually get the salient points onto two pages.

Set out your CV effectively, with appropriate use of “white space”.  Your objective is to get the maximum amount of information into someone’s mind in the minimum amount of time.  Make it easy to read.

Include a section for each role you have held, starting with your current/last job.  Put emphasis on your more recent roles, bearing in mind that what you did fifteen years ago is likely to be less important than what you achieved last year.