Hello everyone

I am now looking for a new job and i know i've got something unique to offer to employers. The problem is, having looked at my CV, i've got to be honest and say that even i wouldn't necesarily say it stands out. I have worked on it as much as i possibly could, but i am still not satisfied. I feel that there must be a way i can write it or lay it out to reflect who i am truly. Competion is out there, i just want my CV to allow me to stand out above the rest.

I have looked around and found websites where they can actually re-write your CV...but for a fee. My question is, are they really worth it? Has anyone got any experince dealing with some of these sites and was it good or bad? Any recomendations if you have dealt with them would also be greatly appreciated.

Please help, i want to get cracking before the summer holidays......

It seems strange that you say "i know i've got something unique to offer to employers" (presumably not your expertise in grammar) and then go on to say "The problem is, having looked at my CV, i've got to be honest and say that even i wouldn't necesarily say it stands out."

Rather than parting company with money and asking "websites" to write your CV for you, has it occurred to you to get a book out of the library on this for free?

Incidentally, I suspect that most employers who receive a CV containing basic grammatical errors will simply throw it in a dustin.

LOl...anyways, thanks for having wasted your precious time here.

Hey Mez,

Good to see you sis I hope all is well at your end.

I don't have experience dealing with these sites but I do have experience teaching people how to create and update their CV's. Paying for such a service depends on what the place is offering with it. I agree about a book maybe being just as good because there's no right or wrong way to have a CV.

Correct me if I'm wrong but it sounds like the layout is what you aren't satisfied with. What about the content? Does it have all the up to date info on there? If so it's more about rejigging and editing what you have.

Not sure what bits you have or don't have but some points to consider:

• Add a page for a cover letter to introduce yourself highlighting why you are writing, mention areas you know are needed for the position you are applying for and make sure you give a date you expect to hear by or will get in touch by before signing off
• Don't make the CV any longer than 2 pages
• Include apersonal profile section at the start of the Cv to tell a bit about yourself - a few concise sentences will do
  List your key skills and abilities under your profile (if you choose to do it)
• Instead of sentences under your employment history use bullet points
• Try to compress the duties or responsibilities part by perhaps merging 2 or more points
• Give figures when demonstrating your capabilities so the employer can quantify what you have done e.g. if you deal with queries from clients or customers, say how (email, phone etc) and how often (daily, weekly etc)
• Give examples of actual things you have done e.g. if wordsprocessing is an area you need to prove your ability in, state what you have produced such as reports, newsletters, assignments - whatever you have done...

...Hopefully that makes sense but I tell you what, you're welcome to send me a PM if you'd like me to have a look and give you some feedback. I won't expect any payment but there is something you can do for me so let me know ok.

Your CV shouldn't read like a job description, it should outline your key achievements for each job/position you held, starting your sentences with words like Sucessfully, Improved, Increased, managed etc. If you think of your achievements in terms of:

Problem/Situation
Action (the action you took)
Result (what was the result of the action you took, for example: "...preventing delays to X"). If you can quantify it, then thats even better.

Also, if your not applying through an agency, and your not already doing so, tailor your CV to the job your applying to. Sometimes I try to use the wording in their job description in my CV (in case they are looking for buzz words) with an example from my own work experience.

Hope that helps!

Good luck

At Maat and Muse....sorry for the late reply, i thought my thread was dead..

Thank you both for your reply.....since posting here, i have had some help with a professional and it looks good. I will also bear in mind you recomendations....cheers very much.